October 29, 2025 — Between plenary sessions on Monday and Tuesday, Convention delegates had a chance to share some topics they would like to see addressed during the next round of contract negotiations. Some of the top suggestions were telecommuting, short staffing, and improvements to the dental plan provider network, in addition to across-the-board raises and continuation of the Higher Education Differential.
“We have a really amazing contract team,” said Contract Adminstration Director Debra Greenberg. “We have a great chief negotiator and a strong administration at PEF, but we really need membership’s involvement. We could go in there with the most persuasive arguments, but we need people being vocal, talking to fellow members, participating in solidarity events, writing letters. Showing unity is what is going to really help with the contract.”
On the issue of telecommuting, members noted different standards at different agencies and across different units. Some suggested telecommuting accommodations for weather and adverse situations where it’s dangerous to travel to worksites.
Capping caseloads, offering more varied shifts and staggered worktimes, and fairly enforcing lunch and breaks at institutions and hospitals, where members often work through both, also came up. In addition, many members expressed frustration with the Anthem dental plan and want to see improvements to the provider network.
PEF has submitted a request to bargain to the New York State Office of Employee Relations, but has not yet heard back about specific dates. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement for the PS&T unit runs through April 1, 2026. In the meantime, the Contract Team is still reviewing suggestions from members, so please email 2026ContractSuggestions@pef.org.