Workforce Initiative (WFI) Grants Now Available

PEF Training and Education, Health and Safety is pleased to announce the Workforce Initiatives (WFI) Program for PEF-represented employees. The WFI Program is available through  Contract Article 15 funds. The WFI supports unique training projects developed jointly by agency management and labor representatives. These projects are often conceived to address changes in agency or organizational mission and goals, changes in work processes, in legal or regulatory requirements, or resulting from technological advances.

Each WFI application must have a Project Coordinator, and must be developed jointly by a PEF Representative and an  agency management representative. The Project Coordinator is the agency lead for the WFI application and will serve as primary project contact. The agency management representative, such as a Training Director or Director of Human Resources, and a PEF representative, such as a Council Leader, Labor-Management Chair, or Steward, must both sign the application. The WFI Program Guidelines and Application forms can be found at the following web address: http://www.goer.ny.gov/Training_Development/PEF/index.cfm.

The Professional Development Committee (PDC), comprised of representatives from GOER and the Public Employees Federation (PEF), oversees the WFI and will review all project proposals to determine approval of funding.

For additional information about the program or assistance with the application process, labor-management team members should contact PEF at 1-800-342-4306 ext. 254. 

PEF MEMBERS - JOIN YOUR LEADERSHIP TEAM AT A LEGISLATIVE RECEPTION ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th

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PEF 2013-14 BUDGET PRIORITIES

PEF Members:  Please contact your Regional Coordinator to participate in a regional letter writing campaign to legislators about PEF’s budget priorities

 memo:

TO:               Executive Board Members and Council Leaders

FROM:        Susan M. Kent, President

DATE:         February 8, 2013

RE:             PEF SFY 2013-14 Budget Priorities

Attached are PEF’s budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year which have been developed in consultation with affected Statewide Labor Management Chairs, Regional Coordinators, and Executive Board members.  Our main concerns are proposals which would:

• Create a private hospital in Brooklyn and in upstate New York, which, along with inadequate state financial support,  may endanger our SUNY hospitals;
• Expand the use of “design build” and “design-build-finance” contracts for infrastructure improvements;
• Expand the Close to Home Initiative and close all OCFS non-secure facilities;
• Replace current one-year notice laws for the closure of DOCCS, OCFS, and OMH facilities with significantly shorter and inadequate notice provisions;
• Privatize and diminish state provided services to the mentally ill and developmentally disabled through undisclosed closures of state operated facilities.

Our strategy for advancing our budget priorities will involve engaging our members, members of other unions and community groups, working together to advance our budget priorities and to fight those proposals that result in bad public policy, negatively impacting our members and the community.  At the same time, we will remain vigilant in advocating for continuity of employment for our members and to protect the services they provide to New Yorkers.  This year we will move to regional lobbying.  We will begin regional lobby days in every PEF region and outreach efforts to get PEF members to send letters to their legislators on our priority budget issues.  Regional Coordinators and PAC Chairs requested that the PEF Legislative Office prepare letters on all budget priorities for them to coordinate letter writing campaigns in their regions.  The timetable for action is short, and your participation is essential over the next month to ensure our budget priorities are achieved.

cc:  Statewide Labor-Management Chairs

Click Here for SFY 2013-14 Budget Priorities of the Public Employees Federation Memo

IMPORTANT UPDATE

New York State Civil Service Exams Cancelled for Saturday, February 9th

Exams Re-Scheduled for Saturday, February 16th

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Coalition pushes to close corporate loopholes in New York

PEF President Susan Kent was among a coalition of community, labor, faith, student and Occupy organizations who spoke at a press conference in Albany to bring fairness and transparency to New York’s corporate tax system. Kent said Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget calls for a continued reduction in corporate taxes, while at the same time calls for a continued freeze on all state agency budgets.

 “Where is the shared sacrifice in that? A fair budget would also freeze tax breaks for big businesses and close corporate tax loopholes so corporations pay their fair share of state revenue,” Kent said.

 The other speakers included Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, Colin Donnaruma of Occupy Albany, state Assembly Members James Brennan and Barbara Lifton, and Michael Kink, Executive Director of the Strong Economy for all Coalitions.