August 7, 2024 —
PEF president on historic fourth term: ‘It’s a bit surreal’
The president of New York’s state workers’ union made history over the weekend — becoming the first person to be elected to a fourth consecutive, three-year term to lead the Public Employees Federation.
PEF President Wayne Spence will lead the union for another three years, fighting for roughly 56,000 workers across all state agencies. About two-thirds of the roughly 10,000 PEF members who submitted a ballot voted for Spence, who worked as a parole officer for nearly 30 years.
“It was a bit surreal,” Spence told Spectrum News 1 on Monday. “Considering when I was first elected in 2015, it was by a very narrow margin. This time around, it was almost by 70%.”
Click here to read the story.
PEF comments on pension fund boost
President Wayne Spence is quoted in this article about the remarkable increase in the New York State Common Retirement Fund. According to State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the fund has now reached a total of nearly $268 billion, showcasing an impressive 11.5 percent return on investment. This performance is nearly double the long-term expected rate of return of 5.9 percent, as per the report from the office of State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
Click here to read the story.
Media covers historic fourth term win
The Albany Times Union reported on President Spence’s historic election to a fourth term as the union’s top officer.
Click here to read the story.
Leading the AI discussion
President Spence and Vice President Randi DiAntonio spoke on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on public service jobs during the AFT Public Employees divisional meeting at the AFT convention in Houston on July 22, 2024.
Click here to read the story on AFT’s website.
PEF voices concern with prison closures
President Spence was interviewed over the phone for a News10 story on the announced November 6, 2024, closures of Great Meadow and Sullivan correctional facilities, which will impact more than 100 PEF members at those facilities.
Click here to watch the video.