b)
Travel Funding for Executive Board Members – Sachs
c)
Increase Penalty for Assaults Against State Employees – Goldstein
d)
Division Funding – underreported members – Goldstein
e)
PEF Retirees Membership Fee Reduction – Goldstein
f)
Uniformity of Logo and Colors
ADOPTION OF THE
MINUTES
A motion was made to approve
the minutes from the November 2002 Executive Board Meeting.
It was seconded and the minutes were adopted as printed.
SECRETARY-TREASURER’S
REPORT
Budget
Secretary-Treasurer Hallum
thanked the members of the Budget Advisory Committee, Bill Parolari, Alan
Schulkin, Julia Leffingwell and Nithia Chatterjie for their work on the
budget. The Secretary-Treasurer
then introduced Mr. Chatterjie to give the Committee report.
Mr. Chatterjie stated that the process was difficult because budget
expenditure decisions had to be made prior to the release of the State Budget
and the Early Retirement Incentives. He
also noted that the Convention budget was increased, due to the rising cost of
airline tickets.
Secretary-Treasurer Hallum gave additional information about Early
Retirement Incentives and stated that PEF will probably see a decrease in
membership of around 3,000 members. She
also discussed the funding of several current and two proposed staff positions
within the budget.
The Secretary-Treasurer moved to
adopt the budget, the motion was seconded and debate followed.
Ronald Goldstein moved that PEF pay for the cost of membership in the
PEF Retirees organization for one year for any retiree who signs a pension
deduction form. He also included
that the Secretary-Treasurer shall determine where to find the funds.
The motion was seconded and debate ensued.
President Benson moved to postpone Mr. Goldstein’s motion until the
June Executive Board meeting. The
motion was seconded, debate ensued and the item was postponed.
Secretary-Treasurer Hallum responded
to several more questions regarding the proposed budget.
Alan Schulkin moved to close
all matters before the house. The
motion was seconded and carried.
A vote was then taken to approve the proposed budget.
The motion received a second and passed.
Resolution # 18 – Change
Delegate Election Rules
Secretary-Treasurer Hallum
reported that this item had been referred to the Delegate Elections Committee
and would be addressed during the Delegate Election Rules report.
Division
Constitution Discussion - Beagle
Dennis Beagle requested
information about how he should proceed to have the Executive Board approve
the proposed changes to his Division’s Constitution.
Secretary-Treasurer Hallum recommended that Mr. Beagle bring any
proposed changes to the Executive Board prior to sending them out to his
membership for approval.
Mr. Beagle then moved that the
Executive Board approve the proposed “Amendment to the Constitution of PEF
Division 221.” The
Secretary-Treasurer suggested postponing the vote until after lunch to allow
Bill Seamon, PEF General Counsel, time to review the proposed wording and Mr.
Beagle agreed.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
President Benson reviewed the
order of items to be discussed under his report.
He noted that the Quality Service Award will be postponed until the
June Board meeting because Ted Ricciardelli could not attend this meeting.
Priorities Update/PEF
Challenges
The President stated that the
Governor’s budget has proposed potential closures in OMH, OMRDD at the
Institute for Basic Research, the Nathan Kline Institute and the Psychiatric
Institute, as well as the sale of SUNY hospitals.
He noted that PEF’s response has been threefold: public relations,
grassroots mobilization, and politics. In
addition, PEF Field Representatives have been assigned to work with Regional
Coordinators and Council Leaders in their fight-back activities.
He added that a Budget Work Group has been established, including Vice
President Baker and several senior staff.
The committee meets on a weekly basis to assess progress, review
literature, find funding, and make proposals to keep the fight-back activities
moving forward. He noted that
television and newspaper ads have run statewide and will continue to do so.
In addition, Lobby Day is scheduled for March 10th and
postcard campaigns are forthcoming for all affected sites.
He applauded the statewide leadership for their efforts in membership
education and coalition building by holding meetings, leafleting, lobbying,
and phone banking.
The
President also discussed the recent editorials against the Retirement Reform
and noted that PEF has responded and will continue to respond to the negative
opinions which claim the programs are too expensive.
President Benson then noted that PEF
has recently achieved six major MOU’s or arbitration awards, in addition to
obtaining Sick Leave Parity for our members.
The President announced several Board members who will be retiring:
Cliff West,
Tom Van Bramer
, Michael Harrigan, Barbara Sacco, Robert Harms, Dennis Beagle, Jonathan
Gittens, George Hooper, John Clark and Marion Michel.
He also presented an award of recognition to Irma Davis, who is also
retiring and has been the Executive Board stenographer for twenty years.
President Benson responded to several
questions from the board on his report.
Meeting recessed at
12:05 pm
.
Meeting reconvened at
1:15 pm
.
President Benson called the meeting to order.
Charles McAteer announced he would
also be leaving his Executive Board seat to accept a position with UUP.
The President introduced an
advertisement currently running in major markets around
New York
State
produced by the AFL-CIO regarding corporate loopholes.
President Benson asked Vice President
Baker to update the Board on the Fight-Back Campaign.
Vice President Baker outlined the Fight-Back Campaign budget and made a
motion requesting that the Executive Board approve additional funding for the
campaign in the amount of $599,500.00. The
motion was seconded. After
considerable debate, Michael DelPiano called the question and debate was
closed. A vote was taken on the
main motion and it passed.
President Benson requested
that the Executive Board consider the constitutional amendment for Division
221 that was postponed from the morning session.
The President presented the following amendment to PEF Division 221
Western New York Labor Department’s constitution:
“The officers of the Division shall be Council Leader, Assistant
Council Leader, Secretary and Treasurer.
The Council Leader and Assistant Council Leader shall be elected by and
from the Council members. The
Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected by the Council members from the
membership of the Division but shall serve without vote unless having been
elected as Steward.” The
amendment was moved by Dennis Beagle, seconded and carried.
After debate, Michael DelPiano called the question, received a second
and debate was closed. The
amendment to the Division 221 Constitution was adopted.
Contract Negotiations
President Benson introduced
Roger Scales, Lead Negotiator and Vice President Kenneth Brynien, Contract
Chair to present their report.
Vice President Brynien reported that negotiations started at the end of
January. He noted that they
discussed ground rules for conduct during negotiations, established a schedule
of meetings and exchanged conceptual proposals.
Mr. Scales reported that a contract
web page has been created and will be updated weekly.
He added that PEF would not agree to limitations on their right to
communicate with the membership and they will continue to provide in-depth
updates.
Vice President Brynien and Mr. Scales
answered several questions from Board members regarding their report.
Article 12.17 and Transit Chek
Update
President Benson stated that
they are continuing in negotiations with GOER regarding an arbitration
settlement. He asked Robert
Carrothers, Director of Contract Administration to give an update on Transit
Chek for the membership and Cliff Merchant, Director of Mobilization and
Education to report on Transit Chek for staff.
Mr. Carrothers explained that an agreement was negotiated in January for
a pretax transportation benefit that will be piloted in three
New York City
agencies (DOL, OSC, and the State Insurance Fund).
The program will no longer be referred to as “Transit Chek,” and
will allow members to purchase monthly passes through payroll deduction. He
noted that the program has been designed to bypass agency personnel offices
and all contact will be made directly through the provider company.
Mr. Carrothers also added that all transit passes may be purchased
through payroll deduction, and although anything in excess of $100.00 will be
deducted in post tax dollars, members will get the full benefit of pretax
dollars.
Mr. Carrothers responded to several questions on the benefit.
Cliff West moved the agenda and received a second.
Mr. Merchant reported that
PEF and USWA have entered into Labor/Management discussions regarding Transit
Chek. They are in the process of
finalizing part of the agreement and hope to come to an agreement at their
next meeting.
Election Rules
2003 Interpretation
President Benson explained
that a member of the Election Committee is retiring at the end of the month,
but would like to remain active on the committee.
However, the rules defining committee membership state that you must be
a “member.” The President
asked Bill Seamon, General Counsel to describe the classifications for PEF
members.
Mr. Seamon explained the various categories of membership: regular,
active, and retired. He stated
that Executive Board must make a determination as to whether the term “PEF
member” includes retired members.
President Benson moved that in consultation with the Executive Council,
the Board interpret the phrase, “member on the Election Committee” to mean
having been a regular member at the time they were appointed and remaining as
a member, either regular or retired, through the election period.
The motion was seconded. After
considerable debate, Lou Matrazzo called the question and debate was closed.
A vote was taken on the main motion and it carried.
The President referred the issue of various categories of membership to
the By-Laws Committee.
Secretary-Treasurer Hallum stated that she believes an oversight was
made in the Triennial Election Rules as printed.
She noted that the intent of the committee was to include,
“…received at PEF Headquarters or Regional offices.”
The Secretary-Treasurer then moved that the Executive Board interpret
the Triennial Election rules to include this information for the record.
The motion received a second and carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Convention Report
Vice President Fox reported
that due to the limited number of Convention sites available, the Board needed
to vote on sites for the 2005 and 2006 Conventions at this meeting.
He stated that the Convention Committee has recommended
Rochester
as the site for the 2005 Convention and moved the Executive Board vote to
approve their recommendation. The
motion was seconded and carried.
Vice
President Fox then moved that the 2006 Convention be held in
Niagara Falls
. The motion received a second
and debate ensued. Tom Donahue
called the question, it was seconded and debate was closed.
A vote was taken on the main motion and it was defeated.
Bernice Jones moved that the 2006 Convention be held in
Lake Placid
. The motion received a second
and it carried.
Vice President Fox reported that the cost and availability of travel to
Montreal
for the upcoming Convention is becoming a problem.
He stated that the price of airline tickets are increasing daily and
the Amtrak schedule is not conducive to travel from
Western New York
. Regarding passports, he added
that although they are not required to enter
Canada
at this time, all delegates are strongly encouraged to obtain one if they are
planning to attend.
Vice President Fox reviewed the
changes to the travel voucher and responded to questions from the Board.
Bob Harms moved to amend the travel voucher to delete the mileage chart
and add that reimbursement for Convention travel be based on actual mileage
driven at a third of the federal rate, with each passenger being paid a third
of the federal mileage rate, up to the full mileage rate.
The motion was seconded and debate followed.
Alan Schulkin moved to close all debate including the amendment and the
motion. The motion was seconded
and debate was closed. A vote was
taken on the amendment and it passed. Ronald
Goldstein called for a Division of the House.
A count was taken and the amendment passed 51-28.
A vote was taken on the main motion as amended and it carried.
Joyce Degenhardt moved that the agenda should be amended to end the
session on Wednesday, September 17 at
11:00 am
. The motion was seconded.
Dennis Beagle then moved to amend the amendment, ending the session on
Wednesday at
10:30 am
. The motion received a second
and debate followed. Al Visconti
moved to close debate on the motion to end at
10:30 am
. A second was received and the
amendment to the amendment failed. A
vote was then taken on the original amendment to end at
11:00
and it failed. Vice President Fox
moved to a vote on the main motion to approve the Convention agenda and it
passed.
Delegate Apportionment
Secretary-Treasurer Hallum
gave some background information on delegate apportionment.
She stated that the file will be frozen on March 7 and the actual
number of delegate seats will be determined at that time.
The Secretary-Treasurer introduced Mary Mahoney to give the Committee
report.
Mary Mahoney reported that the Committee received one request for
revision in writing. Executive
Board member Barbara Posner, Workers’ Compensation requested that 239 and
374 be combined into a single constituency.
Ms. Mahoney moved that the Board support this request.
The motion was seconded and debated.
A vote was taken and the motion carried.
Ronald Goldstein pointed out editorial changes in Seat 251 and requested
that the document be amended to reflect those changes.
There were no objections from the Board and Ms. Mahoney stated the
document would be amended.
Bill Sachs stated in Seat 222, State Education Department, there should
be four seats instead of three. Ms.
Mahoney responded that the change would be made if the list showed an
additional seat should be added.
Ms. Mahoney moved that Seat 367 and 368 in OASAS be combined and a
second was received. After some
debate, a vote was taken and the motion passed.
Ms. Mahoney then moved that the Election Rules be adopted.
The motion received a second and carried.
The meeting recessed at
4:46 pm
.
The meeting reconvened at
9:00 am
on
March 7, 2003
.
President Benson called the meeting
to order and members joined in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Division 275 Appeal
The President reviewed the
agenda and introduced David Stallone to outline the Division 275 appeal.
Mr. Stallone reported that a Council meeting was held at which only
three of the five members were invited and officers were elected.
He noted that based on the information received from the PEF Legal
Department and their review of the provisions, the Committee denied the
grievance.
President Benson asked the Board to vote on whether or not they would
hear the appeal and if they would allow oral arguments.
The Board voted to hear the appeal.
Ronald Goldstein moved that
oral arguments for the appeal be limited to ten minutes each.
The motion was seconded and carried.
David Stallone, Chair of the Division Committee gave the committee’s
rationale for their decision not to conduct another election for the PEF
Division 275 Steward Council. Lou
Matrazzo spoke on behalf of the appellant, Priscilla Sweet.
President
Benson moved that the Board vote to uphold or overturn the Division
Committee’s recommendation. The
motion was seconded and debate ensued.
Beverley Tomani moved to close debate
on the issue, it was seconded and debate was closed.
The Board then voted to overturn the
Committee’s decision.
President Benson moved that the remedy for overturning the decision be
that, “The election be held null and void and that two weeks notification be
made to all duly elected members of the Stewards Council for any future
election.” The motion received
a second and passed.
MEMBER ITEMS
Executive Board Member
Mail Communications – Opt-out – Sachs
President Benson stated that
he consulted with the Secretary-Treasurer and they have agreed to make the
material sent out in Executive Board packets available as an e-mail to any
Board member that requests it. He
asked Bill Sachs, the maker of the item if that solution was satisfactory and
he agreed.
Travel
Funding for Executive Board Members – Sachs
Bill Sachs requested that his
item be tabled until the June Board meeting to allow the Secretary-Treasurer
time to review funding requirements.
Increase Penalty for Assaults
against State Employees - Goldstein
Ronald Goldstein requested
that PEF pursue legislation that would increase penalties for assaults against
state employees. President Benson
responded that PEF issued a support memo on February 18, sponsored by Senator
Volker and Assemblywoman Delmonte (S. 1387 and A. 3290) regarding this issue.
Uniformity of
Logo and Colors - Edwards
June Edwards moved that PEF
adopt uniformity of logo and colors in union wear when representing the union.
The motion received a second. After
some debate, President Benson moved to table the motion until the June
Executive Board meeting to allow the administration to consult with the
elected leaders and bring back a proposal.
The motion received a second and Ms. Edwards agreed to the proposal.
After some debate, the Board voted to defer the item until the June
meeting.
Bob
Harms moved to adjourn the meeting and the motion was seconded.
The meeting adjourned at
10:40 am
, as the agenda was complete.
Respectfully submitted,
Jane Hallum
Secretary-Treasurer
