The October Communicator is coming to you just days before more than 500 delegates gather at the Niagara Falls Convention Center for the union’s 44th Annual Convention. PEF is unique in the New York labor movement – holding a convention each year, per Article XVI of the PEF Constitution: “The Convention shall meet once annually between September 1st and November 30th at a time and place determined by the Executive Board…”
It will be my eighth as your president and I’m looking forward to reviewing the year’s accomplishments and helping chair the plenary sessions as delegates set the agenda for the year to come. We have so much to be thankful for, and first on that list is an active, engaged membership that is committed to making sure PEF remains a powerful force.
The lead story in this issue is something that has been decades in the making – Nurse Title Restructuring. It is a long-awaited major step toward pay equity for the State’s hardworking nurses. I’d like to thank all of PEF’s nurses who helped advocate on the issue and the PEF Civil Service Enforcement/Research department for their persistence. This was a long time coming and I truly believe it will make a difference in the recruitment and retention of nurses in New York. It also sets an important precedent. There are plenty of other PEF titles that need restructuring and we plan to push for change in those areas.
Speaking of change, negotiations for a successor contract will begin next month for members in the Professional, Scientific & Technical (PS&T) bargaining unit. Our Contract Team has been training for months and is analyzing all the data collected from the Contract Survey.
October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month and in that spirit we have a feature in this issue about a nurse practitioner at Roswell Park who helps patients every day during the most frightening time in their lives.
Looking ahead, don’t forget to vote on November 8! You can review the list of PEF-endorsed candidates here and we have some other useful information in this issue to help you find your polling place.
We’ll be back with an update after Convention. Until then, stay healthy and safe.
In Unity,Wayne Spence