New York Governor Kathy Hochul addressed delegates at the PEF Convention on October 25, 2021, in Niagara Falls, thanking them for all they do for their fellow New Yorkers.

This is a smack in the face to all New York State Parole Officers since she signed off on the “Less Is More” parole reform legislation in September 2021.  

The fact that PEF allowed Governor Hochul to address delegates at the PEF Convention clearly shows that there is a conflict of interest with PEF representing Parole Officers.

In a show of solidarity, we're asking all Parole Officers to unite and opt out of PEF. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court gave New York public employees the right to choose whether to pay union dues. 

According to the article below, Albany Police Officers used this same strategy when roughly 80 percent of the department’s officers stopped paying dues, withholding over $8,000 a month from Council 82. That wouldn’t have been possible without the Janus decision, a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows employees to enjoy the benefits of the union without paying monthly dues. As a result, Albany Police Officers were able to break away from Council 82.   

https://www.empirecenter.org/publications/janus-uncuffs-albany-cops/

A handful of other union members have pursued the same escape route as Albany Police Officers. The most significant example was the successful 1999 move by about 20,000 state correctional officers, who voted to be represented by the newly created New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA)⁠—instead of AFSCME Council 82.

In order for Parole Officers to demand better representation, we must opt out of PEF and stop paying union dues. If you want to exercise your First Amendment right to stop paying dues, click on the link below.

https://newchoiceny.com/opt-out-today/
 
In Solidarity,

New York State Parole Officers