Faces worth a thousand words. Pass the Workplace Violence Bill. This ad appeared in the June 26, 2006 edition of the Albany Legislative Gazette.

Workplace violence prevention bill becomes law
PEF wins big on workplace violence

By DARCY WELLS
The Stop Workplace Violence campaign sought to educate, activate and motivate members as well as the state Legislature, criminal justice authorities and the public — and it worked.

“We are three for three,” said PEF President Roger Benson at the follow-up conference held at PEF headquarters on June 15. “All three bills passed both houses of the Legislature and one, which was introduced 14 years ago, is now law.

Our victory is a direct result of all the work done by health and safety activists.”

The Workplace Violence Prevention bill, sponsored by state Sen. Nicholas Spano and state Assembly Member Susan John, was signed into law June 7. It requires public employers to assess risk and develop and implement a written plan of action to prevent potential workplace violence. Public employers with 20 or fewer employees need not put their plan in writing. It’s been described as one of the most significant health and safety advances in the country this year.

“This law is long overdue,” said PEF Vice President and co-chair of PEF’s Stop Workplace Violence Subcommittee, Pat Baker. “This law sends a clear message that violence is not part of the job.”

But there’s more
The package of bills was the focus of an aggressive campaign that included training of more than 300 members across the state and educating legislators and the public through the distribution of a DVD, a graphic booklet featuring members injured on the job, newspaper ads and lobbying.

The Judi Scanlon bill also advanced taking a giant leap toward becoming law. It has been a one-house bill for the last seven years, passing only in the Assembly until now. The Senate passed the bill June 14.

The Scanlon bill would require the state Office of Mental Health to allow visiting caseworkers to go in pairs when seeing a client at home who has a serious mental illness. It also requires training, cell phones and other safety measures. The bill is named after Judi Scanlon, a PEF member, RN and intensive case manager (ICM) who was murdered by a client in her care in November 1998.

“We, as a family, are very excited that the Judi Scanlon bill, which was created after the horrifying murder of our mother, has passed both houses,” said Kelly Scanlon-North, Judi’s daughter. “We pray for great change in the future in the way places of employment protect their employees.”

“I was especially glad to hear the Judi Scanlon bill passed,” said PEF member Rosemary Rossi Williams, a health information management technician at Rochester Psychiatric Center. “We have ICM’s and it’s a risky job. You don’t know what kind of situation you’re walking into.”

And still more
The Workplace Injury Disclosure and Accountability bill passed both houses May 2.

It amends the Civil Service Law to require the state Department of Civil Service to prepare an annual report about workplace injury rates among state employees. It also requires the inclusion of the costs incurred by the state as a result of those injuries.

“One of the goals of this campaign was to give members the skills to work with management and eliminate hazards in the workplace, so our members will stop getting hurt on the job,” said Rocco Brindisi, PEF statewide health and safety chair and subcommittee co-chair. “These bills give members the tools they need to make that happen.” (See related story, page 12.)

Cost-Benefit Analysis bill headed to governor
Fourth and final Go Public bill passes

BILL SPONSORS — (Above) PEF Region 3 Coordinator Frank Besser and Region 3 convention delegates congratulate Assembly Member Susan John on her Quality Service Award. (At left) State Sen. Nick Spano speaks at PEF’s 2005 Go Public rally. — Photos by Richard Dillard and Jim Adsit

By DARCY WELLS
Accountability in state government is within reach now the Legislature has passed the Cost-Benefit Analysis bill (A.1259/S.6575).

State Assembly Member Susan John and Sen. Nicholas Spano introduced the bill, which requires state agencies to analyze and compare (or comparison shop) in determining whether it’s more cost-effective to have state employees do the work, rather than farm it out to a private consultant.

“This is a huge victory,” said PEF President Roger Benson. “We have provided example after example of how the state wastes hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars each year by hiring costly private consultants to do the work state workers can do better and for less. We know public employees are the better bargain, now we need the governor to sign the Cost-Benefit Analysis bill so the entire state will know.”

Four for Four
The Cost-Benefit bill is the fourth and final Go Public bill PEF has been pushing for the past two years through it’s aggressive, Go Public campaign. It was most recently supported in a Buffalo News editorial.

“Intensive lobbying, public relations and member mobilization have paid off,” Benson said. “I firmly believe getting all four Go Public bills passed is a direct result of a campaign that utilized coordinated research from our privatization fight-back staff, massive public relations and significant member mobilization. This is a true testament to the increased political effectiveness of PEF.

“We are especially thankful to Assembly Member John and Sen. Spano who played extremely important roles as sponsors of the Cost-Benefit bill.”

The Contract Disclosure bill sponsored by state Assembly Member Donna Lupardo and state Sen. Joseph Robach was signed into law in March. It forces the state to disclose the cost and number of their contract workers.

In August 2005, the governor signed another of PEF’s Go Public bills. The Procurement Lobbying bill requires lobbyists to report about their efforts to influence the award of state contracts.

A public authority reform bill that made some of the reforms advocated by PEF’s Go Public Campaign was also signed into law in 2005.

PEF’s successful Go Public Campaign has been used as a model by other unions across the country as an effective tool in further reducing the practice of contracting out work that state employees can do better and for less.

The Communicator July/Aug. '06

Features
Brynien-Igoe ticket sweeps
Pataki signs Go Public bill
PEF wins on workplace violence

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