As summer draws to a close at the end of this month, I reflect with pride on the work we have done over the last few months.
We toured the State to present the 2026-2031 PS&T Tentative Agreement, providing information to voters and answering questions at dozens of worksites from Long Island to the North Country. Ballots are still being collected until 5 p.m. on August 17, so if you’ve put it off until now, there is time to get yours in the mail to meet the deadline so it can be counted on August 18. Your vote does more than just ratify a strong contract with across-the-board raises, increased location pay, and the creation of a PEF Employee Benefit Fund to deliver better dental and vision plans - it shows the State that PEF members are engaged and united. They will be paying attention to voter turnout as a signal of our strength, so please, if you have not already, mail back your ballot.
During one of my Contract Tour stops in PEF Region 7, members alerted me to an alarming situation at the Sunmount OPWDD facility in Tupper Lake. On that sweltering hot day, I toured parts of the secure facility and experienced first-hand the working and living conditions staff and residents were subjected to without air conditioning. A digital thermostat in one office showed a temperature of 84 degrees! I immediately took that news to the media, and reporters wrote about it in the Albany Times Union, the Daily Gazette, and the New York Post. A month later, I’m proud to share that _______. It should not require union involvement for the State to do the right thing, but in this case, I’m glad we were able to bring about positive changes.
Last month, as an AFT Vice President, I was joined by fellow PEF Statewide Officers and 18 additional PEF leaders and members as delegates at the biennial American Federation of Teachers Convention in Washington, D.C. At a Convention with the theme “Fighting for a Better Life for ALL,” PEF authored and passed three resolutions dealing with affordability, the housing crisis, and workplace violence. In my conversations with fellow union leaders, it was clear that what PEF fights for – fair contracts, health and safety, respect, and resources to serve the public – are universal demands in the labor movement. It was inspiring to know we’re not alone and gave me some great ideas for our 48th Annual Convention this October in Niagara Falls.
We have a packed calendar ahead – from summer divisional picnics to Labor Day parades on Sept. 8 to a DOCCS Statewide Labor-Management Conference later next month. Reach out to your stewards and council leaders for more information about events in your area and thank you for your continued activism. Please get in touch with your regional office or PEF Field Representative if there’s anything PEF can do for you.
In Unity,
Wayne Spence
PEF President