October 30, 2026 — President Wayne Spence delivered a clear message in his State of the Union address at Convention on Oct. 19, 2026: PEF made meaningful progress in the last year, but protecting those gains and making new ones will take continued solidarity, vigilance and member involvement.
The president highlighted contract negotiations, pension reform, workplace safety, and efforts to protect public service.
“This is my 12th State of the Union address,” President Spence said. “When I became your president in 2015, I understood the responsibility you were placing in my hands. Eleven years later, I still feel that responsibility every day.
“This is our largest Convention delegation since before the pandemic,” he continued. “The state of our union is strong. We are in good shape, and we have real accomplishments to be proud of.”
Keeping it strong, however, means ensuring that contractual wins are enforced, workplace concerns are addressed, and public employees have a voice in decisions affecting their future.
A strong contract
President Spence gave the membership credit for ratifying the 2026-2031 contract for PEF’s largest bargaining unit, Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PS&T) employees. The contract provides annual raises of 4.5%, 4%, 3.5%, 3%, and 3% – which compounds to 19.3% over the five-year term. It also continues the annual $600 higher education differential, increases location and inconvenience pay, adds a new hazard duty bonus pay for some members, and paves the way for PEF to bring dental and vision benefits in-house using $40 million of seed money provided by the State.
“Do you know how we got this done?” he asked delegates. “We did that! All of you did that. We did it collectively.”
Throughout the bargaining process, there were times when President Spence spoke directly to Gov. Kathy Hochul. And through it all there was the incredible work of the Contract Team under the leadership of Chair and Vice President Darlene Williams and the support and guidance of Chief Negotiator Mark Richard.
“Every agreement takes hard work and depends on the strength of our membership,” he said. “Whether you voted yes or no, you should be proud that your union values your voice. Members made the contract possible, and members decided our direction and that is union democracy. Now, we have to go enforce what we have won.”
President Spence urged members not to let management weaken contract provisions, including employee organizational leave and time needed to investigate concerns and pursue grievances. He also said PEF must keep the pressure on the State after receiving the results of the compensation study they must now contractually deliver by Jan. 30, 2027.
“We are going to examine the results closely,” he said. “We’re going to share what they mean for our members. If necessary, we’re going to organize for the salary changes that we need. If the state tries to water down the response, you will hear from us and together we will be ready to act.”
Safety must come first
Pay and benefits matter, but employees must also be safe at work.
“What good is a contract if we don’t live to spend it and benefit from it?” President Spence said, describing ongoing concerns at numerous state agencies, where security shortages and serious incidents continue to impact members. At correctional and other facilities run by OMH, OPWDD and OCFS, PEF is pressing for adequate security measures, including barriers, reliable personal alarms, appropriate protective equipment, clinical support, violence prevention, and action to address exposures.
The president shared stories of members violently attacked at psychiatric centers and correctional facilities and Department of Transportation members working alongside speeding and/or distracted motorists in work zones, all at risk of injury or death.
“The state has a duty to provide a safe workplace, and we will keep insisting that it meets that duty,” he said.
It’s not just physical violence or dangers: workplace bullying, harassment, and retaliation also hurt members.
“On September 8, we stood outside the Department of Financial Services in New York City because members and union staff had reported bullying, intimidation, and retaliation,” President Spence said.
The union debuted its 20-foot-tall inflatable bull, S.T.O.M.P. (Stop Treating Our Members Poorly), after jumping through rigorous permitting hoops, a strong visual that PEF won’t stand for bullying.
“We had fellow unions, community allies, elected officials, and PEF members from across New York City that came out there and stood with us,” he said. “For a member who is afraid to speak up, seeing that support matters. It’s not easy to stand up to bullying when the bully is your boss.”
President Spence shared his own past retaliation case from two decades ago, when as a Long Island parole officer he was suspended without pay and the state attempted to fire him after he testified at a legislative hearing.
“I pursued a federal case because I believe that speaking honestly about public service should not cost a public servant their career,” he said. “I understand when people try to bully you, intimidate you, and I’m not going to sit by and let it happen to anybody.”
Fair hiring
President Spence also raised concerns about changes to state hiring practices stemming from the NY HELPS program, including the use of resume-based assessments and automated scoring.
“One of the most consequential issues we face is the future of New York state’s civil service system,” he said. “During the staffing crisis, PEF proposed a temporary hiring approach to bring qualified people into essential jobs. But the state response has grown far beyond the temporary approach that we advocated for.”
PEF supports faster testing, accessible exams and better recruitment, but warns against changes that could undermine equal opportunity or make hiring decisions harder to scrutinize. President Spence stressed the importance of representation and a secure future for PEF members hired under the NY HELPS program.
“Our concerns are with the state’s policy choices and whether they preserve fairness for everyone,” he said. “Merit and fitness must remain central to any Civil Service transformation. We cannot modernize our way back to a patronage system.”
Pension reform
Retirement security was another focus of the President’s State of the Union address.
Key goals include restoring the 2% pension calculation after 20 years of service, allowing Tier 5 and 6 members to retire at age 55 with 30 years of service, and reducing early-retirement penalties to a maximum of 27%.
“A comptroller’s report says that 60% of the state workforce is now Tier 6,” President Spence said. “On March 8, more than 15,000 union members and allies came to Albany to demand that New York Fix Tier 6. PEF helped bring that strength into the streets.”
As a result of that advocacy, Tier 6 members will now pay less into their pension each paycheck, depending on their salary range. PEF’s push for pension reform is part of a broader effort to make public service a viable long-term career, recognize the contributions of workers, and ensure employees can retire with dignity and financial security.
Political strength
The impact of looming federal funding cuts is why the success of PEF’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) is crucial. COPE is a federal lobbying fund administered by PEF’s parent unions, SEIU and AFT. PEF cannot use dues money to fight on the federal level, so must raise funds from members outside of dues. The union recently hit a major milestone in that regard.
“For years SEIU kept saying they were going to fine us if we didn’t reach their contribution goals and I made a commitment,” President Spence said. Under the leadership of COPE Coordinator Don Morgenstern, “for the first time in the history of PEF, we’ve met our obligation and we are probably going to exceed it.”
In closing
“I started off by saying the state of the union is strong,” President Spence concluded his address. “We are doing really good things. However, a lot of those things can easily be taken away from us if we don’t stay vigilant, if we don’t continue to fight. Let’s leave Niagara Falls ready to fight for one another and the public service that New York deserves.”