PEF grieves halt in tuition funding

Funding required by PS&T Contract Article 15 to pay or reimburse members’ tuition costs and professional exam fees has been temporarily suspended.

The governor did not include the funding in any of his emergency budget extender bills passed by the state Legislature. The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations was directed to suspend the funding.
PEF has filed a class-action grievance calling for the reinstatement of this funding.

PEF also raised the issue in its lawsuit asking the federal district court to order the state to live up to its obligations under the PS&T contract.

However, the Article 15 funding issue was not among those addressed by Judge Lawrence Kahn in the temporary restraining order he granted PEF May 12. That order requires the state to pay the raises agreed to in the contract and to forgo furloughing state employees, at least until Kahn decides on whether to grant the union a preliminary injunction. — Sherry Halbrook