SOUNDING THE ALARM — PEF leaders Charlie Kelefant and Chris Ciani join the union’s mobilizing drive to put the brakes on the state’s attempt to impose parking fees on Albany worksites, arriving early to distribute ‘Stop the parking fees!’ leaflets to co-workers. — Photos by Denyce Duncan Lacy and John Epting State wants to start charging employees to park in Albany lots PEF preps for new parking-fee battle By DENYCE DUNCAN LACY PEF is on the front lines in a new battle with the state over parking — this time, over proposed parking fees for state employees who currently park free at their Albany worksites. The union put its member-mobilizer network into action one morning in Albany recently, enlisting dozens of members to hand out thousands of leaflets to their co-workers as they arrived for work. The leaflets detail the union’s opposition to the proposal to begin charging employees $3 bi-weekly for using state lots that are currently free. “We are vehemently opposed to this proposal,” says PEF Region 8 Coordinator Jeff Satz, who participated in the leafleting. “We’re here to protect our terms and conditions of employment.” The leaflets were distributed to employees who work at all buildings on the Harriman State Office Campus, as well as those at 50 Wolf Road and at 44 and 84 Holland Avenue. The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations says the fee is needed to pay for maintenance and administration of the parking lots. But PEF sees the $3 fee as a maneuver to get around contractual protections for free parking and open the door to more costly parking fees when employees are relocated to other sites. “Free parking in state lots is an established term and condition of employment for these members,” says PEF President Roger Benson. “We are warning our members not to be fooled by the $3 price,” he says. “The state doesn’t want the $3. It wants the change in terms and conditions of employment. The state wants a guarantee that if it relocates our members in the future, it can charge them much more for parking at their new locations.” The state already has announced plans to relocate many of the workers. “We are telling our members: ‘Don’t let the state out of its obligation without a fight!’ ” Benson adds. PEF leaders are also distributing stickers to members as part of the campaign against the parking fees. One sticker features the slogan “Stop Parking Fees” on a stop-sign graphic, and the other shows a commode and bears the slogan “What’s next, pay toilets?” The Communicator Home Page