Bernice
Cox
Region 11, Division 241 psychiatric nurse 2
Creedmore Psychiatric Center
“I would like to see an improvement in
working conditions in the contract, especially
better safety protections for the staff. Some of
our patients should be in a different type of
institution. They are angry and violent. These
patients cause severe injuries to the staff. When
I was taking a patient’s blood pressure, he
had an outburst and hit my head. I fell to the
floor and suffered a concussion. This needs to be
prevented.” |
William
Wurster Region
8, Division 169 environmental chemist 2
Department of Environmental Conservation
“Job security is a priority and so is the
wage percentage. Mostly, I’d like to end the
anxiety of getting a contract. Just not knowing
is difficult. Also, we have a difficult time
getting information about contracting out.
Management does it all the time, but refuses to
tell us anything.” |
Barrington
Scott Region
10, Division 260 senior insurance examiner NYS
Insurance Department
“Health care is my priority. I’d like
to see minimum cost to the members. Health care
costs have escalated for employees. We pay more
for co-payments. Yet, the salaries are stagnant
and not keeping up with the rate of inflation.
Everything goes up, like property taxes. We
can’t afford to pay more for health care
costs.”
|
Jon
Wegrzynowski
Region 1, Division 219 park engineer Department
of Parks and Recreation
“What’s important to me is keeping
people’s jobs with no give-backs. We’re
losing a lot of people through retirement, and
the state is extensively contracting out.
It’s a big issue to confront. The state is
going in a bad direction.” |
Brian
Pavlock
Region 3, Division 232 real property analyst 2
Office of Real Property Services
“I’d like to see a continuation of the
current travel reimbursements. And in Albany, we
have to stop contracting out. I believe what PEF
says — that it is more cost effective for
state workers to do the job.” |
Edward
Patten
Region 2, Division 230 vocational rehabilitation
counselor Department of Education
“A fair and just wage settlement for all PEF
employees is important. I’m impressed with
Roger Benson telling us to go back to the members
and reinforce the fact that we should unite and
not settle for zeroes.”
|
Gail
Rice
Region 6, Division 230 senior vocational
rehabilitation counselor Department of Education
(VESID in Utica)
“Raises, health benefits and job security
are all important. But job security is a misnomer
because we all know there is no job security. I
would really like to see something done for
members in Tiers 3 and 4 who have more than 10
years. The ones who contributed for all the extra
years get nothing. We have no extra service
credit and we don’t get credit for all the
money we’ve paid in. |
Jodi
Nettleton
Region 6, Division 189 social worker 2 Central NY
DDSO
“I hope we don’t have to give away our
prescription insurance. I’d also like to see
something done about nursing issues. The contract
should address overtime, nursing shortages and
retention of nurses. Nurses are the ones on the
front line and many are burnt out. We need to
protect them from working 16-hour days.” |
Thomas
Oommen
Region 11, Division 244 head accountant clerk
Brooklyn DDSO
“I’d like to see a raise like the one
President Bush gave to federal employees. I also
have an issue signing in and out on our
timesheets. We’re professionals.” |
James
Gonyo
Region 7,
Division 314 vocational instructor Altona
Correctional Facility
“I can see contracting out happening across
the state, and I’ve yet to see any evidence
that privatization saves the state any money. I
agree with Roger Benson that it is an outlandish
expense for the same work that state workers can
do. I also think the contract should contain
language ensuring all agencies have emergency
evacuation plans, especially those in
cities.” |
Ann
Salvagni
Region 4,
Division 320 teaching and research center nurse 2
SUNY Upstate Medical Center
“I’d like to see something that’s
fair in regard to financial reward. I’d also
like to see a buy-back of sick time. Employees
who don’t use their sick time should have a
buy-back option.” |
Elwyn
Bryant
Region 9,
Division 274 psychiatric nurse 2 Mid-Hudson
Forensic Psychiatric Center
“Going to nursing school is no joke, but
there’s a lack of respect for our job. We
work a lot of mandatory overtime. Management
needs to recruit more nurses. And we’d like
to see parity among the three unions. We all need
to be on the same financial page, because it is
causing a tidal wave among everyone working
there.” |
Paul
Walbridge
Region 7, Division 377 recreational program
leader 2 Bare Hill Correctional Facility
“The key factor for me is no zeroes in the
contract. I’m glad the union is taking a
stand on this |
