FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS — PEF President Roger Benson leads hundreds of Region 8 members, retirees and other supporters in calling for contract justice. They are protesting outside an Albany Country Club in late June where the governor is attending a state Republican Party event. Later, the state gave up its unfair demands and the union settled.
— Photo by John Epting
PEF members foundation for contract success
By Roger E. Benson
PEF recently achieved a remarkable PS&T contract when we reached agreement with the state on the 2003-2007 collective bargaining agreement.
The state faced a deficit of $6.3 billion last year, faces deficits of $5.1 billion this year and deficits totaling $14.5 billion for the next two years.
In the face of the worst fiscal crisis for New York state since the Great Depression, PEF delivered a contract that contained four base-pay increases over the four-year term of the agreement, addressed contract inequities built up over the last 25 years including sick-leave parity and salary parity with the CSEA pay scale for grades 1-18, and maintained virtually all benefits and all of our contract protections.
While this may not be the best contract ever, it is the best contract we could have negotiated given the state of the economy and the fiscal condition of the state.
The last contract negotiated in a similar fiscal climate netted multiple zeroes and major concessions, including changes in our protections against contracting out.
This is the first time a PEF administration has negotiated successive agreements, and it shows how far we have come as a union. We have continued to build on the progress made in our last contract.
The foundation for this success began with the last contract. We learned what it takes to get a good agreement — mobilization, public relations, and political pressure. We built a reputation for fighting for our contract and built up our contract war chest to back up our fight.
When others were lowering expectations, PEF kept expectations raised. When it looked like another union was going to collapse and settle for an unacceptable pattern, we fought and raised the bar through our pledge campaign.
When the state was going to punish us for our militancy, we fought back. We applied strategic pressure with the message that we would not accept less than others and that we would fight for what our members earned and deserved; and our efforts paid off.
No one can say for certain what brought us our contract, whether it was the mobilization, the public relations or the political action. However, I can say with certainty that without your involvement we would not have achieved this contract.
Thank you.
The
Communicator September 04
Inside This Issue
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votes on new PS&T pact
Members 'shadow' governor
PEF at SEIU & AFT conventions
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President's Message
Member's Mailbag
Legislative Action
Nurses Station
Member Mobilization
Retirees In Action
PEF Membership Benefits &Travel
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Lockport ratifies
4-yr pact
Bill for NY's citizen soldier
Member is NY Guard Soldier '04
PEF candidates '04 endorsements
Scacalossi scholarships winners
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Exec. Board June meeting
Convention Preview 2004
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