b) Budget

c) Change in Dues Structure

d) Approval of EOL

e) Disaster Relief

f) Website for Regions and Divisions (tentative Friday)

g) Committee Funding Guidelines

1) Standing and Contract Guidelines

2) S/W LM and H&S Committees

h) Timely Distribution of Materials to the Executive Board before Board Meetings

9) President’s Report

10) Committee Reports

a) Political Action

b) Convention Committee

1) Approval of Convention Expense Voucher

11) Member Items

a) PEF E-mail Accounts for Council Leaders – D. Morgenstern

b) Secure Blog/Message Board on Website – D. Morgenstern

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

Ron Goldstein requested in the first paragraph, “staff member Roger Scales” be changed to “Director of Labor Relations, Roger Scales”. President Brynien agreed to the change and moved that the minutes be accepted as amended. The motion carried.

At this time, the President moved to go into Executive Session to approve the Executive Session minutes. The motion was approved and the Board went into Executive Session.

President Ken Brynien announced that the Board was back in regular session and introduced Secretary-Treasurer, Arlea Igoe.

SECRETARY-TREASURER’S REPORT

Budget Amendments

Secretary-Treasurer Igoe moved to increase legislative funding to $200,000 out of the current year’s budget. The motion was seconded, a vote was taken and it carried.

The Secretary-Treasurer moved to increase funding for fight-back activities to $200,000 out of the current year’s budget. The motion was seconded, a vote was taken and it carried.

Secretary-Treasurer Igoe moved to reimburse DOT member Diane Crandall her daily rate of pay in the amount of $184.25. A second was received, a vote was taken and it carried.

Removal of Grade 38 Salary Cap

The Secretary-Treasurer expressed her intention to bring the issue of removing the salary cap on Grade 38’s to the convention delegates. She indicated that removing the cap would provide additional funding for items such as budget fight-back efforts, increasing the contingency fund and a leadership mentor program. The Secretary-Treasurer answered several questions on the issue.

Disaster Relief

Secretary-Treasurer Igoe moved to approve up to $2,000.00 from the cash fund for disaster relief in the in the Buffalo area due to recent flooding. She explained that an application form would be mailed to the members in the Region. The motion was seconded and debate ensued. A vote was taken and the motion carried.

Secure Blog/Message Board on Websites

The Secretary-Treasurer stated that due to a lack to staff to monitor posts and risks from viruses associated with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and blogs, PEF would not be participating in those networks. She asked Angelo Santabarbara, PEF Director of Information Systems to address the Board on this issue. Mr. Santabarbara answered several questions from Board members.

Websites for Divisions and Regions

Don Morgenstern moved that PEF set up e-mail accounts for all Council Leaders who are not members of the Executive Board. The motion was seconded and debate ensued.

Tom Donahue called the question, a vote was taken and debate was closed. The Secretary-Treasurer clarified that the maker of the motion supported setting up e-mails with less expensive accounts, if possible. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried.

Budget

The Secretary-Treasurer presented the budget report and answered several questions. Ms. Igoe moved the budget for adoption and it was seconded. A vote was taken and it carried.

Timely Distribution of Materials to the Executive Board before Board Meetings

Ron Goldstein moved that all e-mail reports to the Board be provided at least four calendar days before the meeting. If not, paper copies must be provided. The motion was seconded and debate ensued.

Dave Chudy called the question, a vote was taken and debate was closed. A vote was taken on the main motion and it did not pass. A request was made for a standing count. A vote was taken and the result was 61- yes, 37 - no. The motion did not receive the required two-thirds and did not pass.

Special Rule of Order Two-Minute Debate Limit

Ken Dischel moved a Special Rule of Order to extend the two minute debate limit to all Executive Board discussion including Points of Information and question and answer periods with a limit of no more than two questions per questioner during each time at a microphone. The motion received a second and debate followed.

Ron Goldstein moved to amend the motion to limit all discussion to two minutes or two questions, whichever is longer. The motion received a second and debate ensued.

Dee Dodson called for all matters before the house. A vote was taken and all matters were closed. A vote was taken on the amendment and it failed. A vote was then taken on the main motion and it was defeated.

President Brynien announced that the Board would recess for lunch.

The President called the meeting back to order at approximately 1:00 pm and asked Vice President Pat Baker to address the Board.

Statewide Labor/Management and Health & Safety Committee Funding Guidelines

Ms. Baker gave a report on Statewide Health and Safety and Labor/Management Funding Guidelines and moved to adopt the revised guidelines as proposed. The motion was seconded.

Dee Dodson moved to amend the motion as follows, “On item number 1 under Statewide Labor/Management Committees, the third line, change it to read, “Funding for officers and trustees of PEF that may attend a statewide Labor/Management Committee meeting other than that of their own agency will be as follows.” Then delete the last line and add, “At their discretion, officers and trustees of PEF can choose to fund their participation in their own agency’s Statewide Labor/Management Committee from the aforementioned budget.” And, “In item 3 delete the last line, the last sentence of line 4 and add language to read, “If a committee member cannot attend a scheduled meeting, that individual must call the Secretary to the Secretary-Treasurer or the hotel if unable to reach the secretary and cancel his or her reservation by 3:00 pm of the afternoon scheduled to check in, in order to avoid charges for the room not being occupied. Failure to do so will result in said member being billed for future reimbursements or be debited for the no-show hotel cost.” And, “Under the Statewide Health and Safety Sub-Committee in Item 1, make the same changes as in Item 1. And, “Under the Statewide Labor/Management Committees in Item 3, make the same changes as item number 3 under the Statewide Labor/Management Committee.” The motion was seconded and debate followed.

Peter Banks moved to amend the amendment to the amendment under the Health and Safety portion of the guidelines to include, “In Statewide Health and Safety Sub-Committees, PEF will fund travel, meals and lodging for up to six agency Statewide Health and Safety members per committee.” It was seconded, but the Chair ruled the motion out of order because the original amendment did not include any numbers.

Ron Goldstein moved to amend the amendment to state, “Failure to do so will result in the said member may be billed for future reimbursements or be debited for the no-show hotel cost.” It was seconded and debate followed.

Olubiyi Sehindemi called the question. A vote was taken and debate on the amendment to the amendment was closed. A vote was taken on the amendment to the amendment and it carried.

Susan Kent moved to refer the language pertaining to members that were on the Labor/Management committee, not that are added to the Labor/Management Committee after they became statewide officers to the L/M Sub-Committee. The motion was seconded and debate followed. A motion was made to close debate and it carried. A vote was taken on the motion to refer the language to the L/M Sub-Committee and it carried.

Standing and Contract Committee Guidelines

Secretary-Treasurer Igoe brought the Standing and Contract Committee Funding Guidelines for consideration by the Board. Lyndon Jones suggested that the guidelines be tabled as they should be done in conjunction with the Statewide Health & Safety and Labor/Management Committee Guidelines. Ms. Igoe requested a legal opinion from the Parliamentarian, Ed Alfonsin and General Counsel, William Seamon. They ruled that the Standing and Contract Committee Funding Guidelines could be handled separately and debate continued. A vote was taken and debate was closed. A vote was taken in favor of the changes to the guidelines and it carried.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Brynien announced that PEF Director of Labor Relations, Roger Scales was retiring. He announced that PEF Director of Contract Administration, Robert Carrothers was appointed the new Director of Labor Relations.

The President addressed the Board about several recent articles that have been very unfavorable to unions. Mr. Brynien stated that he would be meeting with the AFL-CIO and the NYC Central Labor Council to work on a collective fightback against the attacks. President Brynien added that PEF is dealing with budget cuts and proposed closings and layoffs in Corrections, OCFS, Agriculture & Markets and downsizing in DOT and SUNY. Mr. Brynien discussed PEF’s position regarding the Governor’s threat to lay off thousands of employees if the unions do not agree to negotiate. The President told Board members that PEF issued a report entitled, “Tip of the Iceberg,” which addressed severance and retirement incentive programs, reduction of workers’ compensation costs and the reduction of contracting out. President Brynien stated that this report was given to the press, the Legislature and the Governor.

President Brynien announced that the electrical problems that shut down the headquarters office for two days were the fault of National Grid and they will be picking up the expense of all repairs.

The President stated that a company called AON Group has been hired to conduct a study of the dental and optical plan to be completed in approximately six months.

President Brynien announced that PEF has one payment left to AFT, which will settle our long-standing debt.

The President reported that the group of workers from the Holiday Inn Express in Latham that addressed the Executive Board in February agreed to a settlement. President Brynien stated that the fired members of the organizing committee were reinstated with back pay and they will re-run the union election. The President thanked the members of the Board for their support on this issue.

President Brynien moved to go into Executive Session. A vote was taken and the Board went into Executive Session.

The President welcomed the Board members back into regular session.

Ed Lucas moved that PEF will not accept a delay or reduction or elimination of our raises, furloughs or lag pay while better options for saving money exists and the PEF Executive Board fully supports this position. The motion received a second, a vote was taken and the motion carried.

President Brynien answered several questions regarding his report. The President indicated that he sent a letter to the Commission on Public Integrity asking for an official opinion. President Brynien stated the letter included hypothetical situations and requested guidance so that we can work within their guidelines. The President will update the Board when he receives a response.

The President moved to adjourn the meeting and reconvene at 9:30 am on the following day. A vote was carried and the meeting recessed at 4:10 pm.

The meeting resumed at approximately 9:30 am on Friday.

President Brynien called the meeting to order and asked the Board members to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Statewide Political Action

The President asked Vice President Joe Fox to report to the Board on the activities of the Statewide PAC and the upcoming Convention. Mr. Fox announced that due to the resignation of Senator Monserrate, a special election has been scheduled for March 16. The Vice President stated that the Regional PAC has recommended endorsement of José Peralta. Mr. Fox moved to endorse José Peralta. The motion was seconded, followed by debate. Debate was closed, a vote was taken on the motion and it passed.

Vice President Fox discussed PEF’s participation in the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus weekend. He thanked Secretary-Treasurer Igoe for approving the purchase of additional tickets to the Gala Dinner in lieu of the Legislative Reception, which allowed more members to interact with legislators. In addition, Mr. Fox thanked Vice President Pat Baker for all of her efforts regarding the weekend.

Mr. Fox told Board members that efforts to support endorsed candidates throughout the event using buttons, campaign signs and literature were very successful. The Vice President thanked Regional Coordinator Jemma Marie-Hanson and PEF member Marion Fox for their assistance with campaign events during the weekend.

2010 Convention Expense Voucher

Vice President Fox moved to accept the 2010 Convention Expense Voucher. The motion was seconded and the Vice President answered several questions from members of the Board. Mr. Fox agreed to edit the voucher to indicate that tolls would be paid in full.

Oji Reed moved to amend the motion to remove the mileage cap and allow the government mileage rate for people traveling in a vehicle of two or more. The motion received a second and debate followed.

Ed Lucas rose to amend the amendment to allow 90 percent of the regional bus limit times the number of people in the vehicle, three or greater. A second was received and debate ensued.

Tom Donahue called the question on the amendment to the amendment. A vote was taken and debate was closed. A vote on the amendment to the amendment and it failed. A vote was taken on the amendment to remove the mileage cap and it carried.

Ron Goldstein requested an amendment, permitting train travel from Regions 10, 11 & 12. The motion received a second, followed by debate.

Peter Banks asked for an amendment to the amendment, permitting train travel from all regions. It was seconded, followed by debate.

Jeff Janiszewski moved to close all matters before the house. A vote was taken in favor of closing debate and it passed. On the amendment to the amendment, a vote was taken and it failed. A vote was taken on the amendment and it passed. A final vote was taken on the main motion to approve the expense voucher as amended and it carried.

Dan Steen moved that an article be published in the next issue of The Communicator which would include the rules passed by the Executive Board and information on the availability of parking. The motion received a second and was followed by debate. Upon conferring with PEF Director of Public Relations, Darcy Wells, Vice President Joe Fox agreed to publish the article.

Jim Kersten moved to reconsider the main motion which is the policy for traveling to the Convention for reimbursement. The motion received a second. The Parliamentarian advised that the Board needed to debate the wisdom of reconsidering the motion. After discussion on the wisdom, Jeff Janiszewski moved to close debate and it carried. A vote was then taken on the motion to reconsider and it was defeated.

Dan Steen moved to raise the amount allowable for division delegate stipends from $100 to $150 per person. The motion received a second and debate followed.

Jim Blake moved to amend the motion to include no more than $125 as an increased stipend. The amendment was seconded and debate ensued.

Joe Greenfield called all matters before the house. A vote was taken and debate was closed. A vote was then taken on the amendment and it failed. An unidentified speaker requested a division of the house on the vote. A standing count was conducted and it showed that the amendment did pass. A standing count was then held on the main motion, increasing the Division stipend to $125 and it passed.

President Ken Brynien introduced Valerie O’Dell, PEF Director of Finance to address the members of the Board about Regional and Division bank accounts. Ms. O’Dell gave a presentation to the Board and answered questions.

At this time President Brynien moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded, a vote was taken and the meeting recessed at approximately 12:20 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kim Partridge

Executive Board/Conference Coordinator