Brother & Sister Parole Officers,
The state of parole in New York is in limbo and our long-time civilian union, the Public Employees Federation (PEF) has turned its back on us again. For many years, we have tried to break away from PEF with no success.
Frustrated with what we perceive as years of ineffectual representation and concerns about how our dues are being used, we are asking the state’s Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) to allow us to drop representation by PEF so that we could join the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA).
The final straw was when PEF endorsed Governor Kathy Hochul for a full term at its quarterly meeting of the PEF Executive Board in June 2022. Governor Hochul signed the "Less Is More" Act into law in September 2021 which has tied our hands and will cause a loss of Parole Officer jobs. PEF's endorsement of Governor Hochul is clearly a conflict of interest.
PEF is more of a political group, concerned more with itself and spreading money to political causes than an organization fighting for its members.
In response to PEF turning its back on us, we are asking Parole Officers to boycott PEF by opting out of the union and stop paying dues. This tactic helped Albany Police Officers breakaway from their former union, the American Federation of County, State and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
Roughly 80 percent of Albany Police Officers stopped paying dues, withholding over $8,000 a month from AFSCME. 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.
To learn more about how Albany Police Officers used the Janus decision to leave AFSCME, click on the article we've attached below.
In closing, Vice President Darlene Williams, who chairs PEF’s contract team, said the team expects to send out contract surveys to members in August and will meet with members throughout the state to hear their thoughts regarding contract priorities. Members also are invited to send their suggestions and comments to the team any time at contract2022Suggestions@pef.org.
To our 1,079 supporters, please email this update to PEF’s contract team so that our message is heard loud and clear that Parole Officers should be represented by New York’s Independent Law Enforcement Union, NYSCOPBA!”
In solidarity,
New York State Parole Officers