By LINDA RUBIN and SHERRY HALBROOK
At its meeting in Albany on June 3 and 4, the PEF Executive Board approved sending a tentative agreement for the members at Lockport Hospital to them for ratification. 

The board also heard a report from PEF President Roger Benson and Vice President Ken Brynien on the status of PS&T contract negotiations.

Following an executive session, the board approved a motion by PEF Secretary-Treasurer Jane Hallum expressing “support and full confidence” that the PEF team “will do the right thing” in negotiating a contract with United Steelworkers of America Local 9265. The local represents all but approximately 30 of PEF’s staff members. The previous collective-bargaining agreement expired June 30, 2003.

Early political endorsements
On the recommendation of the PEF Political Action Committee (PAC), the board voted to endorse John Kerry for president, following a telephone report from a national political pollster hired by a PEF affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). 

Also on the PAC’s recommendation, the board approved early political endorsements of state Sen. Randy Kuhl in his bid for Congress in the 29th District, and the re-election of state Assembly Member Peter Rivera.

New position approved
On the recommendation of Hallum, the board voted to create a new staff position of agency organizer, which will be funded through the AFT Solidarity Fund for the remainder of the PEF 2004-05 fiscal year. Initially, this position will be assigned to support PEF members at the state Division of Parole.

The board approved an application from approximately 55 PEF members at the state Office of Children and Family Services regional office in Yonkers to leave PEF Division 191 and form PEF Division 191 Y. The board approved the new division’s constitution.

Hallum announced a new policy for billing PEF divisions, which provides for the automatic deduction of certain expenses from PEF’s per capita dues distributions to the divisions. However, divisions may request to be billed and then pay by check for those expenses.

The board defeated a motion from the floor to increase the daily stipend to PEF convention delegates from $25 to $35. And a convention travel policy presented by PEF Vice President Joe Fox was adopted.

Two join E. Board
Verneice Davenport, representing PEF members at Metro Developmental Disabilities Services Office and Diane Meyers, representing members at the Albany Housing Authority, were sworn in as members of the Executive Board, filling mid-term vacancies created by resignations or retirements.

The board confirmed the addition of Jim Blake, Paula Hennessy, Bernice Jones, Nancy Sweeney and Barbara Posner to its Ethics Hearings Panel.

The board declined to hear both an appeal of the decision of the Ethics Review Committee in the matter of Jones vs. Matrazzo and an appeal of the decision of the Special Elections Committee in the matter of Jones vs. Ray and PEF.

Now hear this
The board passed three resolutions to be submitted by PEF to the 2004 conventions of AFT and PEF’s other international affiliate — the Service Employees International Union.
The resolutions address:
• Commitment to “Stop Off-Shoring of Public Sector Work;”
• Support for a “Million Workers March on Washington” to demand that the nation’s elected leaders “listen to the people who pay their salaries, rather than the voices of big business and the rich;” and
• Opposition to BSN degree requirements for nurses.