4/26/2004

Pride, Power and Purpose

TIMELY ISSUES — State Senate Minority Leader David Paterson talks with PEF President Roger Benson about state budget and contract issues at a recent legislative event.

By ROGER E. BENSON
“Pride, Power and Purpose.” Those are the words we chose to represent us in the PS&T contract negotiations. 

Pride 
Our members are proud of the work they do for the citizens of New York State. We are proud that we can influence state politics, and are proud that we are the most mobilized union representing the state workforce. We are proud that, although we have yet to reach a tentative agreement with the state, we were able to influence the state’s negotiations with other unions.

Power
We have the power to put our members in the street, in campaigns and in the media to get a fair contract. The last time we had a contract stalemate, we put thousands of our members into the streets around the capitol, at the NY State Fair, and everywhere we felt we could raise our contract issues publicly.

Purpose
We act with purpose. We will not accept a contract that does not meet our needs. We will fight as long and as hard as it takes to get a contract that meets the needs of our members. PEF members deserve to know the details of our entire tentative contract and we will negotiate until we can explain every provision, and will not accept any provision based on side agreements to be negotiated later.

Last month, I wrote about the effect of the Civil Service Employees Association’s (CSEA) tentative agreement on our contract negotiations. We worked to raise the bar and improve the pattern the state is attempting to impose through the CSEA agreement. 

I wrote it was now up to us to get the contract we’ve earned. The state’s negotiators are not benevolent, they will not give us a fair agreement just because we deserve it. And they will try to limit our gains made under the contract and get as many concessions as they can. 
It is difficult to reach middle ground under such circumstances.

At this writing (in mid-April), we still have not received an offer of CSEA’s core pattern, and the state’s negotiators are demanding that PEF accept less than CSEA was offered in its health care package, before they will even consider moving ahead in our negotiations. 

I will not allow PEF and our members to be held hostage in these negotiations or be forced to take onerous concessions not asked of other unions. 

We have a contract, and it’s in place until we negotiate another one. Right now, what the state is offering doesn’t compensate for what it is asking. Negotiations are about give-and-take and, until the state’s negotiators come to that realization, our members will continue to live under the provisions of our current contract, which is better than what the state has proposed.

Our contract fight may last through the summer and into the fall. The state negotiators know what we will do to get a fair contract and, if they don’t remember, we may have to remind them. We will not settle until we get a contract that is fair for our members and meets our needs. 
“Pride, Power and Purpose.” It’s not just a slogan, it is our means for achieving a fair contract.