Resolutions focus on legislation, work conditions

By SHERRY HALBROOK
Delegates to PEF’s 30th Annual Convention dealt with 19 of the 28 resolutions proposed by members prior to the September event in Rochester. Five resolutions were approved outright and six more were adopted after being amended. Three were referred to PEF committees or departments for study, and four were defeated. One was ruled out-of-order.

Resolutions dealing with civil service, contract and legislative issues were given the highest priority and the delegates acted on all of them. And they acted on eight of the 14 resolutions relating to PEF administrative issues. However, time ran out before they could get to the three resolutions dealing with world affairs and domestic issues, which had the lowest priority for action.

Resolutions that were adopted or adopted as amended direct PEF to:
• Support adequate funding by the state of the NYS Civil Service Commission;

• Continue to seek amendment of the state Civil Service Law to prohibit transfers under sections 52.6 and 70.1 of the law in the face of a valid existing eligible or preferred list or re-employment roster when such transfers would result in promotions;

• Seek enactment of state legislation to allow any vested member of the NYS and Local Employees’ Retirement System to purchase up to five years of service credit;

• Seek enactment of state legislation to allow members of Tiers 2, 3 and 4 to retire without penalty at any age so long as they have the required years of service, which is currently 30;

• Seek enactment of state legislation to restore lost sick time and service credit to state employees who were hired during the period April 1, 1982, through March 31, 2003, and were credited with three fewer days of annual sick leave during that time than employees hired before or after it;

• Seek enactment of an amendment to the federal Internal Revenue Code to exclude from taxation up to $20,000 of annual pension and annuity income for individuals age 59.5 years and older;

• Suspend the requirement (passed by the 2007 Convention delegates) to provide online access to members of transcripts of PEF’s conventions and Executive Board meetings until the security of those transcripts can be assured;

• Publish twice each year (including in The Communicator issue that announces the rules for PEF’s triennial elections) the U.S. Labor Department’s “Bill of Rights” for union members and its guidelines for union elections;

• Establish a network of volunteers from among PEF’s Executive Board members and division leaders to rapidly respond to news stories about public service and related issues with letters, calls and comments to the media as needed to counteract anti-public-sector bias;

• Research and calculate the carbon “footprint” of the 2008 PEF Convention and develop a plan to achieve carbon neutrality at the 2009 event and all future PEF conventions; and

• Work with management to develop areas at worksites where employees can safely and privately nurse their infants or express milk and store it.