With winter in full swing and weather emergency declarations always possible, PEF Contract Administration has issued a memo answering Frequently Asked Questions about your rights during a declared State of Emergency. (more…)
COVID-19 at-home test guidance
Under direction from the federal government, all private insurance companies and health
plans will cover claims for FDA-authorized COVID-19 at-home, over-the-counter diagnostic tests. This includes all HMO plans along with The Empire Plan. (more…)
PEF statement on the proposed executive budget
PEF President Wayne Spence issued the following statement on Jan. 18, 2022, following the release of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget proposal:
“In her first budget address, Governor Hochul clearly reflected the priorities of PEF members and all New Yorkers, especially around the need to provide additional resources and staff so our depleted state agencies can better serve New Yorkers. We appreciate the governor’s commitment to invest $10 billion into the state’s health care system, including targeted programs to attract and retain nurses and other health care professionals. We look forward to reviewing the actual budget legislation and working with the governor and the legislature to secure a final budget that invests in high-quality public mental health, addiction and other safety net services to support at-risk New Yorkers and to facilitate the successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals back into their communities.”
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MLK fought for workers’ rights, bridging the labor movement with the civil rights movement
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered as a leader in the fight for civil rights – but when he was killed in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968, King was actually in the city to support a union strike.
King was in Memphis to support African American garbage workers, who, carrying signs blazoned with “I Am A Man,” were on strike to protest unsafe conditions, abusive white supervisors, and low wages.
His support of labor may have been largely overshadowed by his civil rights activism, but it was no less significant. In 1961, King attended the AFL-CIO’s annual convention, helping to bridge civil rights for African Americans with the labor movement.
“The labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it. By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole nation to undreamed of levels of production. Those who today attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers them,” he said at the convention.
And the support went both ways. When King was jailed in Birmingham for participating in civil disobedience, Walter Reuther, the leader of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, bailed him out and several major unions donated money to civil rights groups, supported sit-ins and freedom rides, and helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, famous for King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Addressing the Illinois AFL-CIO in 1965, King said: “The two most dynamic movements that reshaped the nation during the past three decades are the labor and civil rights movements. Our combined strength is potentially enormous.”
Looking back on his life and legacy on January 17, 2022, PEF President Wayne Spence spoke to local news media about King’s connection to the labor movement.
“Dr. Martin Luther King’s core values – equality and justice for all – are still what govern the labor movement to this day,” Spence said. “We are always fighting for equal treatment in accordance with our collective bargaining agreements. We fight every day for justice on behalf of the workers we represent, who have rights and protections in their contract that are all too often ignored by management.”
Spence said King knew there was strength in numbers.
“The greater our collective voice, the more people in power will hear us and the greater impact we can have.”
PEF statement on COVID surge, telecommuting, booster mandates
PEF President Wayne Spence issued the following statement on Jan. 11 in response to to New York’s COVID surge, booster mandates, and the lack of sufficient telecommuting:
“New York State is inexplicably insisting on a mad dash to force workers into the workplace during the worst winter surge of the COVID pandemic. By the State’s own reports, this is the worst spread of infection we have seen at any time during this pandemic, and health experts predict this surge has not peaked yet. Rather than allow its workforce to protect themselves, their families and the public from this surge by telecommuting as they did during previous surges, the State ignores this simple and effective strategy and, instead, chooses to broaden vaccine mandates, requires workers to wear masks all day at their desks, wastes its limited supply of COVID tests and now forces another dose of the vaccine upon its strained workforce.
There is a simple and incredibly effective solution here which the State continue to ignore. New York needs to establish a robust telecommuting program that will truly protect workers and the public, as well as provide higher-quality masks (N95s or KN95s) for employees who cannot telecommute. Instead, the State appears more concerned about revenue than employees’ lives. Governor Hochul should heed her own words: ‘Let’s learn from the lessons of the past and finally put this winter surge behind us.’” (NYS COVID briefing, Jan. 10, 2022)
Fund Our Future Petition – Sign Now!
With the NYS Legislative session underway, we have launched a petition demanding that lawmakers and the governor save and bolster the vital public services PEF members provide. It’s time to Fund Our Future so all New Yorkers can thrive! Read and sign our petition here: www.PEF.org/FundOurFuture
PEF ready to work with Gov. Hochul to reward, protect healthcare heroes
Albany, N.Y. – The Public Employees Federation, the Communications Workers of America, and the New York State Nurses Association issued the following statement on Jan. 5, 2022, in response to Governor Hochul’s State of the State address:
“We applaud Governor Hochul for recognizing that our frontline healthcare workers are in desperate need of additional resources as COVID-19 overwhelms our hospitals. The Governor’s pledge to invest $10 billion in higher wages, better hospital conditions, and a more robust pipeline of workers is a huge step forward and essential for protecting the health and safety of the public. This proposed massive infusion of resources could not have come at a more critical moment. Skyrocketing cases have pushed our healthcare system to the brink of collapse. Morale is at rock bottom, thousands of health care workers are quitting their jobs in despair, staffing levels are dangerously low, and hospital conditions are deplorable. A major infusion of health care resources cannot wait–it must happen as soon as possible. At the same time, the CDC’s reckless decision to cut the isolation period for infected health care workers to 5 days without requiring a negative test before returning to work has put both workers and patients at serious risk. We look forward to working with the Governor to ensure all our healthcare heroes are appropriately protected and that all New Yorkers have the highest quality of care possible.”
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The New York State Public Employees Federation represents 50,000 professional, scientific, and technical employees across the state, including almost 10,000 nurses. www.PEF.org.
The Communications Workers of America represents 700,000 working men and women in telecommunications, customer service, healthcare, media, airlines, public service, and manufacturing. District One represents 65,000 total members in New York State. cwad1.org
The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. www.nysna.org.
Public hearing on the impact of COVID-19
11-17-21 Public hearing on the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of healthcare and the the healthcare workforce
Pacholk and Diop testify (starting at 2:19:00)
If state lawmakers can telecommute, why not the rest of the state workforce?
PEF President Wayne Spence issued the following statement regarding Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent executive order allowing the NYS Legislature to meet virtually until Jan. 15:
“The strong and decisive action taken by the Governor to protect the legislative branch of government employees should also be extended to the executive branch. The Governor understood that by allowing the Senate and Assembly (and their staff) to telecommute, she was providing necessary additional protections to stifle the spread of the pandemic. These same protections should be afforded to us “ordinary” folk as well.”