July 16, 2024 — To help celebrate the start of summer, PEF and CSEA members who work in the Capital District at the Workers’ Compensation Board came together on June 21 to host a joint picnic and enjoy a bright summer day complete with food, prizes and fun.
For many of the members of both unions, the picnic is a chance to celebrate not only the return of warmer weather to New York, but to celebrate workers both new and old. Hundreds of members from PEF participated in the event, including newly hired Division 363 members, like Chinwe Egboh, an Auditor 1 working for the Board.
“I just joined PEF,” Egboh said. “I’ve been really excited to meet people and have a good time here, and I am glad to be with PEF.”
Division 363 members who have been with the Board for a long time were happy to meet colleagues in an informal setting and enjoy the summer weather.
“This is one of the best times for us to get out of the office and get to talk and have a little fun,” said Tammy Bullis-Dominy, a principal examiner with the Board. “We should be able to take the chance to enjoy the place we work at outside of the workplace sometimes.”
Members at the picnic, including CSEA members, said that they were glad to be part of a union and to finally see the number of employees at the Board steadily rising.
The Workers’ Compensation Board, much like many other agencies across the state, has experienced a shortage of workers and increased workloads for years now. Recently, efforts at the Board to hire more workers have seen some success.
PEF Director of Organizing Scott Harms called the picnic a success, especially with so many members coming out to enjoy the festivities. He also said that picnics like this give unions a way to connect with members who are not always active.
“The picnic is a really good tool to talk to members about their issues and about the good PEF does for this division,” said Harms. “Likewise, it’s a fun time and a good way to celebrate the work being done at the Board.”
Harms also said that there appears to be evidence that hiring rates are stabilizing as more new hires enter the agency. Additionally, veteran members are excited to see that many of the new employees are fresh to state service and to the Workers’ Compensation Board.
“It is too soon to tell how much the hiring is affecting workloads,” said Bullis-Dominy. “But I am very excited and hopeful. I am glad to have newer, fresh faces to the Board, too.”