PEF\u2019s statewide labor-management and health and safety committees must move very quickly to influence return-to-work and future telecommuting policies before a July 31 deadline.\u00a0 That was the urgent message they received at an all-day Zoom meeting on June 25 with PEF leaders and staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of labor-management work to do in the next few weeks,\u201d PEF Director of Contract Administration Debra Greenberg told them.<\/p>\n
The current Memorandum of Agreement between PEF and the state regarding telecommuting expired at the close of business on July 2, but state agencies and authorities can continue telecommuting under the terms of the agreement or a pre-existing agreement until July 31, when according to the Governor\u2019s Office of Employee Relations (GOER), each agency is required to have their own telecommuting programs in effect and reviewed by GOER.<\/p>\n
PEF\u2019s agency level L-M and H&S committees were urged to survey their PEF constituents to find out what they want, and the committees should immediately contact the management chairs of these committees to request an emergency meeting to discuss the telecommuting plans that will be submitted to GOER. \u00a0Committee chairs should immediately reach out to their PEF field representative and involve him or her in this process.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to wait for the next quarterly labor-management meeting,\u201d Greenberg said.\u00a0 \u201cWe should say to management, \u2018Let\u2019s get this process started immediately.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The plans that are approved by July 31 will meet an immediate need to set and clarify telecommuting policies at the agencies.\u00a0 But another, later date may follow for establishing permanent plans, in accordance with the tentative agreement between PEF and the state.<\/p>\n
The tentative PS&T contract agreement, if ratified this month, would allow an employee who is denied telecommuting by their direct supervisor to ask management to review that decision.\u00a0 Every state agency and authority will be required to implement a telecommuting plan within nine months, and the agencies and authorities must meet and confer with the union to develop those plans. The four-day-per-pay-period limitation is eliminated in the tentative agreement and instead agencies, to the greatest extent possible, should allow flexibility in the employees\u2019 choice of which and how many days to telecommute per week or pay period.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have time after ratification to improve these agency plans,\u201d Greenberg said.\u00a0 She added that she believes agencies were often impressed by how well employees performed from home during the pandemic shutdown and now may be willing to approve more robust telecommuting plans than they had allowed before the pandemic.<\/p>\n
PEF associate counsel Ed Aluck said agencies will have the right to decide where telecommuting is \u201cfeasible,\u201d with PEF input, but now PEF can say, \u201cIt worked for 16 months; so what is your objection?\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenberg told the PEF committee chairs to reach out to her or to Aluck if they encounter resistance to meeting with PEF to develop these plans.<\/p>\n
PEF Vice President Sharon DeSilva, who chaired the Zoom meeting, said, \u201cAgencies are going to consider their operational needs.\u00a0 We have to say, \u2018Telecommuting has been working even above and beyond what was required.\u2019\u00a0 It has been quite successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur labor-management and health and safety committee members should work together with their field reps,\u201d DeSilva said.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s work as a team!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear that agencies must develop their plan with us,\u201d Greenberg said. \u201cThat is what the contract requires.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PEF\u2019s statewide labor-management and health and safety committees must move very quickly to influence return-to-work and future telecommuting policies before a July 31 deadline.\u00a0 That was the urgent message they…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,480],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-nys"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n