August 21, 2026 — Bills passed by both houses of the State legislature during their 2026 session are waiting for the signature or veto of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. They include many bills that PEF supports and a couple the union would like to see vetoed.
All PEF members can help advocate for these union priorities by sending a letter to Governor Hochul urging her to act. The PEF Statewide Political Action Committee has made it easy by creating digital letters that can be sent to the Governor’s Office with a few clicks. Hard copies of action letters will also be available at union events and meetings in PEF regions.
“Taking this small but impactful action is critical to ensuring that the union’s priorities are addressed,” said PEF Vice President and Chair of the State Political Action Committee Randi DiAntonio. “The union needs to take political and legislative action because the laws and policies that come from our elected officials directly impact our employment and our benefits.”
There are 12 bills and corresponding letters for PEF members to support.
One of the bills, supported by State Senator Jessica Ramos and State Assemblymember Judy Griffin, focuses on preventing anti-union organizations from sending messages impersonating a union employee or representative. Many PEF members over the years have been coerced into leaving the union due to apparently receiving messages from such organizations pretending to be PEF President Wayne Spence.
Another bill, supported by State Senator Christopher Ryan and Assemblymember Chris Eachus, puts protections in place against the use of hiring outside contractors to do work done by public employees during hiring freezes. Not only does PEF believe that this would do harm to critical services, but it costs more for taxpayers and undermines confidence in the government.
A bill that would allow state employees access to their personnel files at least twice a year and expand basic labor protections is also awaiting the Governor’s signature. The bill is sponsored by State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymembers Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas. PEF believes that this bill protects employees by allowing them to ensure their personnel records are only used to track and improve employee performance. It would expand access to the personnel file and notify employees when negative information is placed in their records.
PEF members can send an email to the Governor’s office urging her to act by visiting the union’s Legislative Action Center on the PEF website or app.