12/14/2007

CONTRACT UPDATE - #29
TABLE TALK
PEF's PS&T contract team continues to meet with a team of negotiators from the Executive Branch headed by representatives of the Governor's Office of Employee Relations (GOER).

For those uninitiated, PEF does not settle a contract without having the actual contract language agreed to and signed off on by the parties. This time consuming task prevents confusion regarding the real meaning of any concept agreed to by parties who do not rely on the technique of developing actual contract language as an integral part of their negotiations process. Having said this, negotiators on both sides spent much of the week working at their own desks composing, e mailing, faxing and otherwise sharing contract language for several issues tentatively agreed to including SAD, PEP, OT Meal Allowance, revised medical documentation standard and seasonal employee benefits. It is anticipated that much of this necessary work will be signed off on this coming week at the main table.

Negotiations for the SED Schools for the Deaf and Blind moved significantly forward this week. PEF has a policy that there can be no closure on the main contract until such time as both the Schools and our Roswell Park Cancer Institute addendums are resolved.

DC 37’s LOCAL 1359 SETTLES

There are 11 unions representing 14 bargaining units for which the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations (GOER) has negotiations responsibility. The 2nd of the unions has reached a tentative agreement with GOER.

DC 37 Local 1359 representing approximately 350 employees of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal in NYC announced its agreement with GOER this past week.  The agreement follows the basic pattern established in the GOER/CSEA deal reached this past month.

For those interested, Local 1359 has posted the specifics of its deal at their website http://www.local1359.org

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Full table negotiations are scheduled for this coming Wednesday and Thursday.