Contract Negotiations

On August 13, 2024,  the PBA’s negotiation team participated in a second round of mediation in an effort to reach an agreement on our contracts with New York State. We have reached tentative agreements on many issues and are now focused on a final compensation package. The PBA and the State remain apart on what that compensation should be. At the completion of the August 13 session, the parties agreed to continue to communicate through the mediator as we work toward a final agreement. We have the option of an additional session, if necessary, but believe it will be more expedient to work through the mediator between sessions to try to reach an agreement. We will keep you apprised as this process continues. We remain committed to getting a contract that reflects the difficult and dangerous work we do.

FOIL Requests

On Monday, August 12, members of the PBA’s Executive Board attended a meeting with Division and leadership from NYSPIA to discuss how Division is responding to FOIL requests seeking our members’ personnel folders. As some of you know, Division is involved in extensive litigation with NYCLU over its FOIL requests, which seek member records going back twenty years. The 2020 repeal of Civil Rights Law 50-a meant that members’ personnel records are no longer shielded from FOIL requests like the ones NYCLU has filed. Therefore, the courts are siding with NYCLU in these lawsuits, and the records must be released subject to redaction. Therefore, Division presented to us its intent to respond to NYCLU’s extensive FOIL requests by creating an online database of membership personnel folders. The database will have records specifically and exclusively requested via FOIL requests. We were informed that the records will be redacted and will likely take years to place online. During the meeting, the PBA and NYSPIA expressed significant concerns, including our members’ right to privacy, their safety, the quality of redaction, and the impact on recruitment, retention, and membership morale.

The PBA plans to partner with NYSPIA to fully evaluate this database, provide input regarding meaningful changes and protections, monitor the rollout of FOIL responses, and take administrative action where possible. Members will continue to receive notice when their personnel folders are going to be released via FOIL. We strongly encourage you all to take this notice seriously, review your personnel folders frequently, and to request correction or removal of any records not appropriate to your personnel folders.

The PBA will provide you with additional updates when we have them. Please reach out to your Troop delegates for additional information.

Fraternally,

Charles W. Murphy

President