02/19/2004
TABLE TALK
Negotiators met on Tuesday, February 17. The Union presented the State with
a full package counter offer to their package of February 10. In one interesting
exchange the employer insisted on knowing whether the union could make movement
toward their position of shifting premium responsibility from the employer to
the employees and future retirees by reducing the percent of bi - weekly premium
share the state is currently responsible for. They also wanted to know whether
the union would agree to allow them flexibility in creating a network of
participating hospitals under the empire plan (use of non-participating
hospitals could result in a $1,000 co-pay—and no, that’s not a misprint). PEF
responded that we would try to meet some of the state’s needs in the health
insurance area, but our answer to all of these draconian proposals was an
emphatic- “no”. Having said this, if another union sets a pattern which includes
accommodations to the State in these areas the other unions will be hard pressed
to fend off the changes. Join us in the fight to prevent this from occurring!
Take the CONTRACT PLEDGE today and ask your co-workers to do the same!
TAKE THE CONTRACT PLEDGE
As noted in a prior AIM, by all accounts the State is shopping for the best deal
amongst the Unions. The wage and benefit pattern another union agrees to may
have an impact on the PEF negotiations. We are spending a lot of time, money and
energy to assure that whatever the deal is it includes some core components
highlighted in our CONTRACT PLEDGE. All State employees need to communicate with
the Governor now by taking the CONTRACT PLEDGE!
THE PLEDGE
Gov. George E. Pataki
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
I will not accept a contract
- That does not have a base wage increase in each year;
- That has significant health concessions including increases in premium
percentages;
- That diminishes the health insurance benefits of present or future retirees;
and,
- That does not provide cost-of living adjustments for high cost geographic
areas.
Signed, _______________________
- Take the PLEDGE online by visiting www.unionvoice.org/campaign/pledge and ask your co-workers to do the same (advantages of taking the PLEDGE on line are it is free, quick, and a copy is automatically e mailed to your elected NYS legislators!)
-or-
- Sign the PLEDGE and ask your coworkers to do the same. Give all signed PLEDGES to your PEF leader who will arrange for it to be faxed to the governor.
The PLEDGE can be downloaded from the PEF website at http://www.pef.org/files/contactpledgead3.pdf
Copies can also be obtained by sending an e mail with your name, address and number of copies needed to PEFonline@pef.org. If you do not know who your local PEF rep is return signed pledges to the nearest PEF Regional Office or send them to
PEFc/o Margaret Wexler
PO Box 12414
Albany NY 12212
- LABOR ENDORSEMENTS ON THE HORIZON
PEF Leaders from around the State are presenting the following resolution in
support of a fair contract deal for all NYS employees to every AFL-CIO Central
Labor Council
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF ALL N.Y.S. EMPLOYEES
WHEREAS, contracts with Unions representing 175,000 N.Y.S. employees expired in 2003, and
WHEREAS, these unionized employees have not received a raise
in 2 years, and
WHEREAS, the State refuses to provide the same raises to these workers that it
has provided to its MTA and Port Authority personnel; the Federal government has
provided to its employees; and many N.Y.S. municipalities and school districts
have provided to their employees, and
WHEREAS, N.Y.S. wastes a quarter of a billion dollars per year in contractor
salaries that in many cases are twice that of Civil Servants who perform the
same job, and
WHEREAS, the State provides these same overpriced contractors with automatic
cost of living adjustments for wages (in 2003 a 3.1 % increase) in salary while
denying any increase to its own unionized workforce, and
WHEREAS, the State demands from its unions in these negotiations gut wrenching
concessions in health insurance benefits currently provided present employees
and future retirees that would seriously erode any fair increase in salary, and
WHEREAS, the State does not provide for a fair compensation differential for
those employees who work in high cost areas, and
WHEREAS, New York State employees provide vital and essential services to the public and deserve to be treated in a just and fair manner.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this Labor Federation requests that the Governor of this great State intervene in these negotiations and bring these negotiations to a quick and just end.
- PRESS CLIPS – "RUMORS SWIRLING IN UNION CIRCLES"
Excerpt from the NY DAILY NEWS, 2.18.04
By Bill Farrell
Last week, Danny Donohue was reelected to a fourth term as president of the 80,000-member Civil Service Employees Association. He didn't have much time to savor the victory.
Currently involved in negotiations with the state, the association was the subject of rumors swirling in union circles that it was closing in on a new three-year deal with no pay hike in the first year.
"We hear they're talking about a contract that not only provides no wage increase in the first year but will also change the health coverage contribution formula - changes that would eat up any kind of wage increase," said Court Officers Association President Dennis Quirk.
"We are in negotiations as well, and we don't want to be in a situation where ... a deal like this becomes the pattern across the state."
Quirk and the heads of the seven other unions representing court employees are so concerned, they fired off a letter to Donohue last week.
They offered their support to Civil Service Employees Association "in taking a firm position in negotiations and will work to persuade any union's membership to reject proposed agreements with no increase in the first year."
Those unions are not alone in their concerns.
This month, the 52,000-member Public Employees Federation launched a statewide newspaper advertising campaign. It urged all state employees to sign a pledge that they would reject any contract that did not, among other items, include an annual pay raise and make "significant" changes to their health plan. A second ad campaign is about to be launched.
"We have clearly identified our needs to the state, and now we want to educate the state workforce on what we feel a fair contract should contain," Public Employee Federation President Roger Benson explained in launching the campaign.
Officials at the association were not available for comment yesterday afternoon.
Most New York State employees have been working without a contract since last April 1.