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for fairness,respectRochesteroffice building in Hauppauge. Theychanted over and over, “We want respect.”“I am so proud of every single personhere today,” said PEF VicePresident Joe Fox. “You arethe union and you makeup the union with yourbrothers and sisters whoare rallying in other citiesacross the state. Thegovernor will listen to usbecause we are going tomake it happen.”“We are the state workers who providevital services, and the governor needs torecognize and respect us,” added PEFRegion 12 Coordinator Connie Batts.Why members ralliedReasons varied why members came tothe rallies.Ted Vazquez, a NYS Insurance Fund(NYSIF) hearing representative, said, “Thisrally and the others will show the governorstate workers can and will come together.We deserve his respect and fair contractnegotiations.”A 21-year NYSIF employee, NancyBenicasa said her co-workers are willing toshow union support because they want tokeep the benefits they earned, but theyalso want to maintain quality services.Charles Guthrie, a regional fisheriesmanager at the state Department ofEnvironmental Conservation, said, “TheFOXBinghamtongovernor is not giving state agenciesenough people to do the work that needs tobe done.”Some of the people whomarched in Poughkeepsiealready knew they weretargeted for layoffs,according to PEF Region 9Coordinator Vivian Street.She said state facilities inDutchess, Ulster, Putnam,Orange, Rockland andWestchester counties havelost more than 700 union employees sincelast September, and more were sure tofollow.Around the stateThe whistle blowing and chantingstretched across the state.Members in Buffalo were also fired-up.PEF Region 1 Coordinator Kevin Hintz saidthe governor has tried to portray stateworkers as over-paid and over-pensioned.“I challenge anybody who thinks we areover-compensated to come here, step inour shoes, do our job for a day and seewhat it’s like,” Hintz said.PEF Region 2 Coordinator Bonnie Woodsaid members gathered in Elmira andHornell “to persuade the governor to comeback to the bargaining table and negotiatein good faith.”Jim Carr, president of PEF Retirees,said, “Parts of the governor’s plans,Hauppaugeparticularly with health care, wouldnegatively affect retirees.”In Rochester, PEF Region 3 CoordinatorJohn Prince said, “We know there’s a fiscalcrisis in this state and the union wants tohelp. But the governor needs to be fair tous and work with us.”“The 250 members who came out tosupport the Syracuse rally have sent theirmessage that we all deserve respect,” saidPEF Region 4 Coordinator Peter Banks.“Together, we are making a difference.”In Binghamton, PEF Region 5Coordinator Mary Twitchell told the press,“We’ve pushed, we’ve yelled, we’vescreamed about millionaires avoiding fairtaxes. Making them pay would solve a lot ofthe state’s fiscal needs.”More than 100 people crowded the wellof the state office building in Utica wherePEF Region 6 Coordinator Kevin Conleysaid, “The governor needs to have respectfor the public, as well as state employees.”PEF Region 7 Coordinator TomDonahue told local reporters in Malone,“The union’s proposed concessions give thegovernor the savings in numbers. Now itlooks like it is not about the money. We allkeep telling him, ‘We’re willing to sacrifice,but not be sacrificed.’”Brynien said the thousands of memberswho participated in the rallies succeeded insending their messages, not just as stateemployees, but as taxpayers and voters,too.BuffaloPoughkeepsieSyracusewww.pef.org The Communicator July-August 2011— Page 5