Elmont Online

ALBANY --- The president of the Public Employees Federation is urging the Cuomo administration to tweak the defeated contract proposal to make it palatable for a new vote of the 56,000-member union.

The invitation by Kenneth Brynien, PEF's elected leader, was announced in a news release Thursday afternoon after he was unable to connect with Cuomo's negotiators. PEF spokeswoman Darcy Wells said Brynien and Director of Operations Howard Glaser had missed each other, and taken the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashana off.

Wells would not specify what tweaks Brynien wants Glaser to see. Public employee veterans suspect he would seek salary sensitivity similar to what CSEA negotiated so that higher-earning PEF members might be subjected to greater health insurance costs than lower-earning PEF members and a stronger guarantee on no layoffs.

Brynien's overture was seen as a shrewd move in case PEF wants to bring charges of unfair labor practice by the Cuomo administration to the Public Employee Relations Board, which administers labor law covering state and local workers.

"Although the governor has said he will not change the state's proposal, we remain hopeful we can reach an agreement," Brynien said. "The next few days will be critical as we try to preserve state services while meeting the savings the state requires."

Stephen Morello, a spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said he is unaware of state officials flatly refusing to renegotiate -- but that there are currently no plans.

"Whether it's a tweak or a major revision, it would require a renegotiation," Morello said.

The governor moved to lay off nearly 3,500 PEF members after the contract worked out with Brynien failed on Tuesday. Layoffs are set to take effect in three weeks.

If Brynien's invitation to reopen the deal is successful, it could trigger the Civil Service Employees Association to seek parity for any improvements worked out. In August, CSEA members ratified a pact similar to the one that PEF rejected; as a result, its 66,000 members are protected from broad layoffs this fiscal year and the next.

"Traditionally there is this 'me-too' clause -- if something is changed materially, you'll find it will be done for any subsequent group," said CSEA spokesman Stephen Madarasz. "Ultimately we will deal with that if and when the time comes. We have no doubt our members will be treated fairly."

Madarasz also said it is unclear what will happen if a person promoted from a CSEA to a PEF post has the ability to move back to a CSEA position the employee has rights to. He said it may be that PEF jobs are being surgically targeted so that bumping a CSEA employee is impossible. He said it may be the case that a PEF employee could "retreat" to a vacant CSEA job.

"We have assurances that no CSEA people will be displaced," Madarasz said. " ... You're bound to be facing a few glitches, despite their best efforts."

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