The New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) launched a "Save State Services" media campaign Dec. 30 with advertisements in the New York Times and Capital Region newspapers. The campaign is in response to New York's projected two-year $6.8 billion budget deficit and Gov. George Pataki's proposal to eliminate 5,000 state jobs.

The ads feature state employees working in a variety of critical occupations, including medical research, food inspection, emergency medical care and environmental protection. Radio and television spots, also part of the campaign, started running Jan. 2 on major stations in the state, including cable channels A&E, Lifetime and Discovery. The media blitz concluded Jan. 9Ñthe date of Gov. Pataki's State of the State address.

At press time, PEF, an FPE/AFT affiliate, was gearing up for the second phase of its campaign--member mobilization around specific budget, legislative and state program issues that undermine state services, including in-district lobbying, letter writing and rallies.

"Our 'Save State Services' campaign will draw attention to the fact that PEF members are on the job for the public not only in times of crisis but every day," says PEF president Roger Benson, noting that the union is conducting the campaign because "we want to make sure essential public services are not sacrificed to fill that budget gap."

"We all understood it is our problem," says Betty Vines, president of the FPE/AFT-affiliated Kansas Association of Public Employees (KAPE), who also is a member of the task force. Bobbi Mariani, Kansas' personnel director, attended the FPE/AFT meeting with Vines.

In addition to monetary and nonmonetary incentives, such as flexible work schedules, that governments could offer employees, the group discussed alternative compensation plans, such as pay for performance and broadbanding. Paula Stoll, Montana's labor relations bureau chief, and Todd Lovshin of the FPE/AFT-affiliated Montana Education Association/Montana Federation of Teachers (MEA-MFT), discussed the alternative pay plans that have been negotiated in Montana. "The purpose behind [these plans]," says Stoll, "is to be more flexible as an organization" and to decentralize recruitment and retention efforts.

"With tight budgets, we are going to have to start working closer with management to try to settle some of these things ourselves," says Vines. "I just think it is going to be a necessity."

The task force will reconvene in March to continue its discussions. "Looking at issues that will affect the public sector in the future shows a lot of foresight on the part of the FPE/AFT," says Foeste.