PEF President Brynien's Message

By KENNETH BRYNIEN
During my presidential address at this year’s convention, I outlined the challenges our union and our members will face over the next year – attacks on our job security, our pensions and workplace safety, just to name a few.

While we, as a union, continue to build our power, we will need the efforts of all of our members and leaders to continue to be successful.

For the last 12 months, the state’s revenues have continued to decline. The state’s budget deficit has been estimated at more than $6 billion for the next fiscal year and more than $24.5 billion over the next three years. The recent meltdown on Wall Street, where the state derives nearly 20 percent of its tax revenue, including the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in New York’s financial sector only draws into sharper focus the magnitude of the state’s fiscal crisis and the challenges we will face in the coming months.

We have worked hard to preserve the job security of our members and the services they provide by offering state leaders several options for cost savings. The declining state tax revenue will only make our challenges more difficult.

The efforts of our members in lobbying and political action make a big difference in how our message is received by the state’s political leaders and has been instrumental in our ability to protect our members.

Over the next several weeks we have an opportunity to distinguish ourselves by working for and electing political leaders who will give us a voice and represent our interests. The leaders we help get elected will make budgetary decisions that could have a profound effect on our members. Your involvement in their campaigns will serve as a reminder of what we, as a union, can do for them or against them.

I urge you to volunteer in this year’s campaigns to help elect our endorsed candidates.Your involvement will make a difference as we work to succeed against the many challenges we are sure to face.