Volume 43. No. 8 Archives

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October 7, 2025 | Volume 43. No. 8

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President’s Message

On October 19, more than 700 PEF members will travel to Lake Placid for the 47th Annual PEF Convention, the first time since 2018 the union will visit the Adirondack town. Now, like then, the highest decision-making body of PEF is convening as we prepare to enter what promises to be an all-hands-on-deck round of contract negotiations. With the state budget in flux due to federal cuts and the Department of Civil Service considering changes to its merit and fitness system, delegates have a lot of work to do, from debating resolutions that shape PEF policy to approving legislative agendas.

Members not coming to Convention can stay up to date this year via the PEF app (download instructions can be found at www.pef.org/app) and we’ll have frequent posts on the union’s social media channels. After Convention ends, we will send out a Special Edition of the Communicator as well.

In this issue, we feature the obituary of Dorothy Elizabeth Reid, a former PEF member who, at the age of 14, became one of the original plaintiffs in the Davis v. Prince Edward County School Board case, one of five legal cases that would later become the landmark Brown v. Board of Education, the historic Supreme Court decision that desegregated public schools. She led a remarkable life, teaching her kids the value of both education and public service.

We also report on the recommendations of the committee tasked with studying amendments to the Humane Alternatives to Long-term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act, where the insight of PEF members proved valuable. While the state is not required to implement the recommendations, we will never stop advocating on behalf of our members at DOCCS.

In this issue, you will also find a story about a unique PEF job at the Department of Labor, information on scholarships and the college application process, and our list of members in need of leave donations. If you have an abundance of banked time, please consider donating to a fellow member in need.

As always, thank you for staying informed and for being a PEF member. I look forward to seeing some of you later this month in Lake Placid.

In Unity,

Wayne Spence
PEF President