A message from PEF President Wayne Spence: As 2021 draws to a close, I just want to take a moment and say, “Thank You.” The work you do every day for your fellow New Yorkers inspires me. I am honored to lead this great union and hope that you are able to enjoy some time away with family and friends to celebrate in the days ahead. As I said in my last President’s Message, I know challenging times lie ahead. And I know that PEF members will confront those challenges the way we always do – together. I leave you with this video of Gov. Kathy Hochul praising your public service at our annual Convention this October and wish you every blessing as you celebrate the holiday season.
PEF secures geographic pay raises for SUNY Downstate nurses
The New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) announced today (Dec. 17, 2021) that it reached an agreement with SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Center to provide geographic pay raises (GEOs) for the teaching and research center nurses employed by SUNY University Hospital of Brooklyn.
The agreement will result in an average salary increase of about $12,500 for PEF registered nurses and an average annual increase of $2,000 for PEF licensed practical nurses.
“These nurses are truly the heroes of this pandemic,” said PEF President Wayne Spence. “These are the public employees who went to work every day, long before there was a COVID vaccine, to care for the sick and the dying. They risked their lives to help others and this geographic pay raise is one small way to reward them for their sacrifice.”
The SUNY Downstate GEO follows similar raises PEF secured for its member nurses at SUNY Stony Brook in September and SUNY Upstate in June. PEF will advocate for additional policies to improve nurse compensation and benefits in the New York State legislative session next month.
The Communicator: HoPEFul for the year ahead
View the complete list of stories now at https://communicator.pef.org/
Spence to Hochul: With masks mandated, why not more telecommuting?
PEF President Wayne Spence sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 14 asking that she expand telecommuting for state workers, given the Omicron variant and the statewide rise in COVID-19 cases which necessitated the indoor mask mandate she just put into effect. (more…)
PEF Endorses Schumer and DiNapoli
Albany, N.Y. – The New York State Public Employees Federation endorsed the reelection campaigns of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli on Dec. 10 at their Executive Board meeting. The PEF Executive Board voted overwhelmingly to accept the recommendations of the union’s Statewide Political Action Committee.
“Majority Leader Schumer came through when New Yorkers needed it most, delivering tens of billions of dollars in relief to the State and saving thousands of jobs in the economic wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said PEF President Wayne Spence. “He has always been there for the workers I represent, and we will be there for him on Election Day in 2022.”
Sen. Schumer was instrumental to the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, which staved off the 10% across-the-board cuts proposed by former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in his 2020 executive budget. That money has been critical to meet the state’s operational needs and is helping address many of the public health challenges caused by the pandemic. Sen. Schumer also led the charge to secure billions more for New York as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will repair bridges and highways across the state as well as help deliver broadband to rural areas.
New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli earned PEF’s endorsement for his steadfast management of the third largest pension plan in the country.
“More than one million current and former state and municipal workers rely on the fund to pay promised and future benefits,” said PEF Vice President Randi DiAntonio, who chairs the union’s Statewide Political Action Committee. “Comptroller DiNapoli is the sole trustee of that plan and is managing the investments in a sound and responsible way, including divesting from fossil fuels while making prudent short- and long-term investments in sustainable energy companies.”
Both Sen. Schumer and Comptroller DiNapoli have supported organized labor throughout their careers in public office. They are true partners with PEF when it comes to legislating and policy-making, meeting often with elected PEF leaders and members and seeking labor’s input whenever appropriate. They have truly earned the endorsement of the New York State Public Employees Federation.
PEF’s advocacy against OMH, OPWDD, OCFS closures
It’s no secret that New York’s safety net for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as well as those living with additional mental health issues, is in crisis. Stories about sudden facility closures and families having to uproot their loved ones with very little notice have been in the news quite a bit lately.
PEF President: ‘Chancellor Malatras has our full faith and confidence’
PEF President Wayne Spence sent the following statement to the SUNY Board of Trustees on Dec. 3, 2021:
Throughout the nearly two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of dedicated New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) nurses employed by SUNY have worked tirelessly to step up, protect our communities, and save lives. Our members have put others before themselves to keep New Yorkers safe, and nowhere did we witness that more than in SUNY hospitals – institutions that provide a lifeline to many of New York’s most underserved and underrepresented communities.
Our work was possible in part because I developed confidence early on that SUNY System Administration, particularly Chancellor Jim Malatras, supported and deeply valued the care our members provide. During my tenure as PEF president, I’ve never experienced a more collaborative and responsive relationship than I have with Chancellor Malatras. It has made a world of difference to have a relationship based on mutual respect and open communication.
As SUNY Chancellor, Jim Malatras has been a staunch defender of, and partner with PEF members. During the darkest days of the pandemic, when PEF nurses were overworked, underpaid, and burned out, Chancellor Malatras never stopped working with us to find ways to show appreciation, gratitude and – most importantly – directly support PEF workers by helping to provide fair wages and retention incentives.
His commitment to SUNY hospitals and all 64 SUNY campuses, many of which educate the nurses and other staff that constitute the union I lead, has been unwavering. Our members know Jim and value the opportunities he has provided to collaborate to improve working conditions and thereby improving the quality care SUNY provides to our communities.
Chancellor Malatras has our full faith and confidence. We look forward to continuing our partnership with him to the benefit of all New Yorkers for years to come.
‘Less is More’: Less resources, less services, less funding
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — PEF parole officers and victims’ advocates rallied outside the Hall of Justice in Rochester November 22 to denounce the “Less is More” parole reform law and call out its serious repercussions for community safety, parole supervision and crime victims.
“Less is More requires that we turn our eyes away from those who are still serving their court-imposed sentences, who continue to demonstrate behaviors that negatively impact themselves, their families and the community,” said Division 236 Council Leader and 16-year parole officer, Gina Lopez. “Language like ‘simple technical violation’ is misleading. All violations of parole are technical violations, except a new arrest. Parole violations are not meaningless. This law removes all meaningful consequences and accountability for parolees.”
The “Less is More” bill unilaterally prohibits parole officers from using their experience, training and knowledge to protect communities from parolees who are willfully and despite repeated warnings continuing down a path toward re-violating the law. It irreparably harms the rehabilitation process for many parolees and eliminates the authority of parole officers to counsel or issue violations for issues such as illegal drug use, alcohol use, skipping curfew and failing to report.
“We supervise approximately 34,000 New Yorkers on parole with only 800 parole officers across the state,” Lopez said. “Sixty percent of parolees are convicted of A1 violent felonies, such as assault, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.”
Parole officers face staggering caseloads, with one parole officer responsible for supervising 48 parolees. Less is More does nothing to mitigate those caseloads and fails to fund or restore mental health, alcohol and drug treatment, job placement and other services that parolees desperately need for successful reintegration into the community.
Current sentencing guidelines require all parolees be afforded the same level of supervision, regardless of individual circumstances. Less is More does not address the need for change allowing expertly trained parole officers to dedicate appropriate resources to the parolees with the most need.
“What we’re fighting for is life and death,” said PEF President Wayne Spence, a longtime parole officer. “PEF believes meaningful parole reform must impact all aspects of reintegrating parolees into their communities. That includes providing adequate funding for low-cost education, technical training, mental health and wellness, addiction services and housing. PEF would like the state to consider amending its sentencing guidelines, which have not changed since 1995 and review the legislative risk assessment process that too often saddles parole officers with high caseloads.”
Victims matter
Less Is More is also a slap in the face to crime victims.
“Less is More means less accountability, more fear, more trauma and a growing awareness that the scales of justice are becoming very unbalanced,” said Patricia Huntington-Sigel, a victim advocate in the Rochester area for 35 years. “Fewer victims are taking part in the system. We as a people are heading in the wrong direction and more victims and citizens will choose not to participate.
“This sends a bold message to victims, witnesses and law-abiding citizens,” she said. “We need to include the voices of victims and advocates when making sweeping changes to the law. Parole is not a right – it’s a privilege.”
It’s a consequence
Less is More is meant to benefit parolees, but for many it amounts to a disservice.
Randy Cimino, on parole for 30 years and now the president of Gates to Recovery, an addiction services group in the Rochester area, said he wouldn’t be attending the rally if it wasn’t for his parole officers and their dedication to their jobs and their parolees.
“If it wasn’t for parole, I wouldn’t be standing here today,” he said. “Every one of my parole officers was a pain in the ass, but without them I wouldn’t be here and able to live by the rules. When you get out of jail, you are not free. Parole is part of your sentence. This isn’t helping them. You’ve got to stop this law before more men and women are dead.”
Parole Officer Gabriela Franklyn, the assistant council leader of Division 236, reminded attendees that parole is a consequence that needs to be in place to protect the community and parolees.
“When community safety is at risk, what do we do? We fight back,” she said. “Where is it ever the case that you can commit a crime and think that you don’t have a consequence? Community supervision is a consequence. Parole officers are the unsung heroes who promote community safety. We’re going to stop the lie. Victims matter.”
Legislative support
New York Senator Pam Helming, who represents District 54 east of Rochester and voted against the legislation, said: “Less is More; what a joke. It’s another radical bill that’s been passed in Albany that caters to criminals but does nothing to keep our community safe. This bill provides no funding for resources like drug treatment or behavioral health services. It provides nothing.”
“The Less Is More act is well intentioned, and it is critical that we help provide newly released individuals with the support and resources they need to succeed,” said State Assemblymember Monica Wallace, in a written statement provided to PEF. “But, we must also make sure that we don’t hamstring our professional officers, whose job it is to keep our community safe. I voted against the act because I believed it would further strain our already overburdened officers by eliminating some of the tools they have to ensure compliance with post-release conditions. Now that the law has been signed, I’ll be fighting to add more officers to reduce their excessive caseloads (48-1) and to expand access to the mental health, alcohol and drug treatment, and job placement services that individuals need to succeed.”
PEF will continue actively advocating for amendments to the law when the next New York State legislative session begins in January.
To view a video of the rally on Facebook, click here.