The Communicator

View Communicator Archive

Current Issue

April 4, 2025 | Volume 43. No. 3

Download PDF

President’s Message

Signs of Spring at PEF: April contract money and a giant inflatable bull!

The PEF Executive Board met March 27 and 28 in Albany with a full agenda, from approving a balanced budget for this fiscal year to discussing looming federal funding cuts and their potential impact on members and services, to entertaining a vote of no confidence in Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Marie Sullivan for failing to act in the wake of violence at state psychiatric facilities.

We also debuted the union’s newest tool in our workplace bullying toolkit – an inflatable 20-foot-tall angry red bull that we can deploy across the state to draw attention to bullying and workplace violence. It’s a striking symbol of our commitment to this fight against toxicity and violence at state agencies and it’s sure to get noticed by the media! Stay tuned to our PEF social media accounts (Facebook, X, Instagram, and now, Bluesky) for a naming contest and a chance for members to tell us where the bull should stop first as it travels across the State.

Not all of April brings showers – it is also when several increases and awards will appear in many of your paychecks. In addition to the 3% across-the-board raises included in your contract, many can expect to see performance awards and advances, a second $600 Higher Education Differential, and location pay increases. Your newly announced Contract Team will continue to work hard to assure you are rewarded for the professional jobs you do.

In our Labor History column, we share the intricacies of New York’s “Taylor Law,” which, in part, prohibits public-sector unions from going on strike. The law complicated the recent wildcat strike by corrections’ officers at DOCCS, the fallout from which we continue to monitor for impacts on our members.

I also encourage you to download the new PEF mobile app. It’s one more way to stay informed and engaged with your union. You will need your Member Identification Number (MIN) and password. Download instructions can be found at www.pef.org/app.