• PEF Region 3 members show solidarity at Rochester Pride Parade 

    PEF Region 3 members show solidarity at Rochester Pride Parade 

    July 28, 2023 — The Rochester Pride Parade may not have happened during Pride Month in June, but that didn’t stop PEF and hundreds of others from taking to the streets on July 15.  Members from PEF Region 3 walked alongside union allies as part of Pride at Work. Pride at Work focuses and...

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  • PEF member, 3 others killed in house fire 

    PEF member, 3 others killed in house fire 

    July 28, 2023 — A house fire in Voorheesville, Albany County, on July 8, 2023, took the life of Division 232 member Rebecca Jean “Becky” Monterosso, a vulnerable persons protection specialist in the Call Center at the New York State Justice Center in Delmar.  Monterosso, 40, Arthur Neander, 35, Emily Neander, 5, and Dale...

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  • PEF Retiree writes new book based on founding member of Blue Magic R&B group 

    PEF Retiree writes new book based on founding member of Blue Magic R&B group 

    July 28, 2023 — Former New York State Parole Officer and PEF Retiree Anthony Johnson has authored a new book based on the life of Wendell Sawyer, the lead singer of the R&B and Soul music group Blue Magic.  The book is titled “My Life Was a Sideshow: The Biography of Wendell Sawyer, Original Member...

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  • PEF Region 9 family struggling after flood and storms  

    PEF Region 9 family struggling after flood and storms  

    July 28, 2023 — States of emergency were declared across parts of the state on July 9 due to flooding from storms and heavy rain. Orange County in PEF Region 9 was one of the areas hit hardest, receiving up to eight inches of rainfall, and one PEF family was particularly hard hit.  Alan Oligario...

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  • Past, Present and Future of child labor prevention 

    Past, Present and Future of child labor prevention 

    July 28, 2023 — In 2002, the International Labor Organization (ILO), an arm of the United Nations, sanctioned the “World Day Against Child Labor” to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labor.  In 2015, the UN and ILO introduced Sustainable Development Goals to world leaders and reinforced their commitment to end child labor. One...

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  • Article 11 and Article 12.1-4 of 2023-2026 PEF/State Tentative Agreement

    Article 11 and Article 12.1-4 of 2023-2026 PEF/State Tentative Agreement

    It has come to our attention that the Special Communicator Edition mailed to all PS&T members for their review during the ratification vote of the 2023-2026 PEF/State Tentative Agreement is missing Article 11 (“Accidental Death Benefit”) and the start of Article 12 (“Attendance and Leave,” 12.1-12.4).  We have included the missing page below. It does not include...

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  • A look at health and dental changes in the 2023-2026 tentative agreement 

    A look at health and dental changes in the 2023-2026 tentative agreement 

    July 5, 2023 — The tentative PEF/State agreement for 2023-2026 includes changes to the health insurance and dental benefits available to PEF members.  Dental benefit changes  As a result of PEF consistently raising the issue of the inadequacy of the EmblemHealth dental network, the State agreed to put its dental services contract out to bid...

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  • Keep an eye on your mail and vote on the proposed 2023-2026 PEF contract! 

    Keep an eye on your mail and vote on the proposed 2023-2026 PEF contract! 

      July 5, 2023 — The PEF Contract Team and New York state reached a tentative agreement (TA) on the 2023-2026 PS&T contract on June 6, bringing to the Executive Board the next day a proposed contract with many valuable gains that recognize the hard work and dedication of PEF members.  “This is a very...

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  • Tentative Agreement includes a valuable new benefit: Paid Parental Leave 

    Tentative Agreement includes a valuable new benefit: Paid Parental Leave 

    July 5, 2023 — Ballots to vote on ratification of the 2023-2026 PEF/State Tentative Agreement will start hitting members’ mailboxes after July 5 and, if ratified, members who welcome a baby, an adopted child, or a foster child, could be eligible for a new benefit: Paid Parental Leave (PPL).  “This is a gamechanger for some...

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  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness still in effect despite Supreme Court decision 

    Public Service Loan Forgiveness still in effect despite Supreme Court decision 

    July 5, 2023 — On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court found unlawful the Biden Administration’s proposed student loan forgiveness program that would have allowed up to $20,000 of student loan debt to be forgiven for qualified applicants.   Despite the ruling, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program is still in effect. The Supreme...

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