The theme of this year’s Convention “Charting the Course” is reflective of
how we are aligning the income and expenditures to position PEF for the next
contract. We have identified the tools we need and the strategies we need to
employ.
There is no doubt in our mind that we will have a difficult time in securing a
decent contract for our members. The history of PEF has shown this to be true.
The experience we have gained has shown us the importance of several key pieces
that need to be in place before we sit down at the bargaining table.
Communication is both a tool and a strategy. The ability to communicate with our
members, our leaders, our activists, is paramount. I’ve often said that in any
war, the first agenda item is to destroy your enemy’s ability to communicate. In
conventional wars, bridges are destroyed, radio communications disrupted, radar
jammed. In our struggle, we must be able to reach 55,000 people with up-to-date
and accurate information.
We were moderately successful in this task in our last negotiations and the
Governor’s Office of Employee Relations recognized this and would not conclude
our contract until we agreed that we would not mass email our members using New
York State’s internet addresses.
Communications is the tool that we use to counter management’s disinformation
and propaganda. I was truly amazed at the press quotes from the Governor’s
Office of Employee Relations during our last contract. I was naïve enough to
believe that the government that we elect and that supposedly represents us,
tells the truth.
To improve our communications, we will deploy our surplus computers to
Divisions, we will mobilize our members, and we will have the funds to
communicate.
Financial independence is another strategy we will use to strengthen our ability
to stand on our own two feet, and to avoid the crippling effect of grant money
withheld or withdrawn to bend the leadership into compliance. We took steps to
eliminate grant-funded positions and move those positions to the budget of PEF.
We are nearly 100 percent independent of money from state grants to support our
activities and by next year, we hope to achieve complete freedom from reliance
on those grants.
Additionally, we have met with the auditors to apprise them of the dedicated
fund for contract fightback which was approved by the Convention last year. The
auditors are aware of the special restrictions on these funds and will ensure
the funds are used for their dedicated purpose.
The Secretary/Treasurer’s office has strengthened our ability to advocate for
members by reducing our dependence on outside funding during contract
negotiations and assuring our fiscal integrity. With your support, we can
continue to expand our influence.