PEF
E-Board backs Dean for prez
BY DENYCE DUNCAN LACY
Citing his pro-labor and pro-health care proposals and
his record as governor of Vermont, the PEF Executive
Board voted overwhelmingly to endorse Howard Dean for
president.
As The Communicator went to press, the board, at its
regular quarterly meeting in November, approved the
recommendation of the statewide PAC to back Dean prior to
the March 2, 2004 New York state presidential primary.
The board is not scheduled to meet again until March 7.
PEF Vice President and Statewide PAC Chair Ken Brynien
also urged board members to approve the motion to keep
the union in the forefront of the national political
arena.
“In politics, there are two kinds of people,”
Brynien said. “There are players and there are
spectators.
“Whether you win the game or lose it, people respect
you because you played, and the next time they want you
on their team. We don’t want to be on the sidelines.
We are known as players in the political arena, and we
want to continue to be players.”
Brynien added that Dean has been a strong friend of labor
as Vermont’s governor, signing agency fee protection
for state employees’ unions into law and supporting
binding arbitration for municipal workers. As a state
legislator, Brynien noted Dean had a 100 percent
pro-labor voting record.
“Dean recently received the AFL-CIO’s first
Paul Wellstone Award for his commitment to the rights of
workers,” Brynien said.
Region 11 Coordinator Jemma Marie-Hanson was among those
who also spoke in favor of the motion to endorse Dean, a
medical doctor.
“As a registered nurse, I’m supporting Dean
because he has a clear plan to help remedy the nursing
crisis,” Marie-Hanson said.
“He would ban mandatory overtime, except for
national or local emergencies. He would ban unlicensed
nurses from doing our jobs. He supports safe staffing
ratios and would make nurses’ hours more flexible so
we can attract new nurses to the profession and bring
back some who have left. He has a plan to make our
working conditions better.”
“We need a doctor in the house — the White
House,” added Executive Board Member Nithiananda
Chatterjie.
Dean also has the endorsement of several other unions,
including the Service Employees International Union, one
of PEF’s international affiliates.
To find out how you can help fight for your future, call
the PEF Legislative Department at 800-724-4997.
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