PEF President Ken Brynien talks about the importance of ratifying the revised contract agreement

Ken Brynien, President of the NYS Public Employees Federation encourages members to vote on the revised contract agreement. Brynien explains why his administration is encouraging members to vote ‘yes’.

If the contract is ratified by the full membership it will save the jobs of 3,496 PEF members who have been targeted by the governor to be laid off as early as November 4.

Ballots have been mailed and will be counted by AAA on November 3, 2011.

Have a Question on the Revised Agreement?

Call 1-855-PEF-VOTE

You can call 1-855-PEF-VOTE (1-855-733-8683) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. M-F and someone will be available to answer your question.

If you call after hours, leave a message with your name, phone number and question and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Note: Due to the possibility of a high volume of calls, the line may be busy at times.

Important Tentative Contract Information

NOTE: Expedited Timetable for Contract Vote

The right to vote on the tentative PS&T Agreement with the State is guaranteed to PEF members in the PEF Constitution.  Balloting by PEF members on the tentative agreement, which was approved by a special meeting of the union’s Executive Board meeting, held on October 17, 2011, will be conducted according to the following schedule:

1. Ballots will be mailed to PEF members in the State’s PS&T unit by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) October 18, 2011.  Only State or Roswell Park employees in the PS&T Unit who are dues-paying PEF members as of October 16, 2011 are eligible to vote.
2. Ballots must be received by the AAA on or before 9 a.m. November 3, 2011.  Received means in hand, not just mailed or postmarked by November 3, 2011.
3. A double-envelope system will be used for balloting as required by the AAA to ensure secrecy.  PEF will follow all procedures required or recommended by AAA for balloting.
4. Any PEF member in the PS&T unit who has not received a ballot by October 26, 2011 should call the AAA hotline at (800) 529-5218 to request a ballot or replacement ballot.
5. Ballots will be counted by the AAA on November 3, 2011.

Contract Information including a summary of the changes negotiated in the tentative, a comparison of the failed and the revised agreement and list of gains and trade-offs is currently being mailed to all PEF members.  The documents are also available below:

• Tentative Agreement
• Heads of Agreement with the State
• Side by side comparison of the July and October tentative agreements
• Membership Contract Mailing (includes Contract Changes sheets, Glaser memo, July and October Comparison, and Gains and Trade-offs)

PEF Executive Board approves sending revised tentative contract to membership

Albany - The Executive Board of the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) today voted to send a revised contract agreement with the state to the full union membership for ratification.

The board is made up of 137 union leaders representing PEF members from every state agency. Ballots for ratification will be mailed immediately to union members. Votes must be returned by Thursday, November 3 for counting that day by the American Arbitration Association in Manhattan.

“The Executive Board recognizes the changes we were able to obtain under the revised agreement address many of the concerns of our members,” said PEF President Ken Brynien.

“Today’s vote gives hope to the 3,496 members who face losing their jobs if the contract is not approved. The revised agreement balances the needs of all of our members and I am strongly encouraging our membership to ratify the new agreement to save the jobs of their co-workers while preserving the level of service to taxpayers,” Brynien said.

The revised agreement is a four-year contract that includes reimbursement for the nine furlough days, payable at the end of the agreement. Additionally, since the deficit-reduction leave would now be a wage deferral, there is no effect on final average salary for purposes of retirement. The agreement also includes changes to the productivity enhancement programthat would allow members greater opportunity to use vacation time to offset health insurance costs.

The agreement calls for no salary increases for years 2011, 2012 and 2013. A salary increase of 2 percent is included for 2014. The lump-sum payment included in the earlier tentative agreement would be exchanged to reimburse furlough days.

Downloads:

• Tentative Agreement
• Heads of Agreement with the State
• Side by side comparison of the July and October tentative agreements

PEF reaches tentative agreement with state - saves jobs

The New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) reached agreement with the state today on a revised contract that better meets the needs of our members.

The revised agreement will be presented to the union’s Executive Board on Monday, October 17.  If approved by the board, the state will delay the effective date of the layoff notices that have already gone out to November 4. This will allow time for a membership ratification vote. If approved and ratified it will preserve the jobs of 3,496 PEF members.

The new agreement is a four year contract and now includes reimbursement for the 9 furloughs days payable at the end of the agreement.

“The changes we were able to obtain under this revised agreement address many of the concerns raised by our members," said PEF President Ken Brynien.

“If the agreement is approved by our executive board and ratified by the full membership the jobs of 3,496 members will be saved,” said Brynien.

The revised agreement also includes changes to the productivity enhancement program which will allow our members greater opportunity to use vacation time to offset health insurance costs. These changes are revenue neutral for the state.
 
The four year deal calls for no salary increases for years 2011, 2012 and 2013. A salary increase of 2 percent is included for 2014. The lump sum payment that was included in the earlier tentative agreement would be exchanged to reimburse furlough days.

“The ratification of this agreement will demonstrate that our members are willing to sacrifice to save the jobs of 3,496 of their coworkers and preserve the level of service to taxpayers,” Brynien added.

PEF’s Executive Board will meet at the Desmond Hotel in Colonie at 1 pm on Monday, October 17.