March 24, 2026 — Getting legislative support for pension reform, body scanners at facilities, and expansion of nurse committees is crucial as the April 1 deadline nears for the New York State budget.
Nearly 50 members and leaders took the union’s message directly to elected officials during PEF’s Lobby Day on March 17, meeting with legislators and their staff.
Fix Tier 6
Reforming the pension plan is critical for recruiting and retaining staff was a top message during the meetings. As union members from across New York made clear at their rally on March 8 at MVP Arena in Albany, Tier 6 lacks the strength and appeal of earlier tiers and no longer draws people to state service.
“The Legislature has helped by reverting back to 5-year vesting and 3-year final average salary calculation, but we still need to reduce the contribution bands to 3% for all, enact a 30-year/55-years-old retirement option, and recalculate overtime into the pension calculation,” said Vice President Randi DiAntonio, chair of the Statewide Political Action Committee. “PEF prefers a reduction in contributions this year to increase members’ disposable income. We believe the contribution band change will help workers now with affordability.”
Body scanners
Serious violence continues to be a problem at state facilities.
PEF supports the Governor’s budget proposal to permit body scanning equipment at Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) facilities to help prevent non-metallic weapons, such as ceramic and 3-D printed types, from being brought into buildings.
Additionally, PEF would like to see the proposal expanded to include scanners at secure/forensic Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) facilities.
In a meeting with Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-23rd District), Region 1 Coordinator Vinny Cicatello from Buffalo Psychiatric Center (BPC) and co-chair of the PEF Statewide Nurses Committee, recounted how PEF member Ed Gordon was stabbed by a patient at BPC in April 2024.
The stories of assaults resonated with legislators, including Assemblymember Karina Reyes (D-87th District), a nurse herself who continues to work shifts at Montefiore downstate, and Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-29th District).
Body scanners at facilities known to treat aggressive or violent clients could prevent incidents of violence against both staff and other patients. Several legislators expressed support or agreed to look into the proposal.
One of PEF’s letter-writing campaigns supports a package of bills pending before the Legislature that would help to protect workers by preventing weapons from entering state-operated facilities, creating safer workplaces and holding people accountable when they assault a public employee. The ongoing threat of violence on the job for state workers is something that the Legislature must address immediately. Send a letter to your legislators here.
Nurse committees
Staffing ratios are essential for workplace safety and high-quality patient care.
Staffing is “very, very bad,” said Ivy Rose Lee, a registered nurse at SUNY Downstate, in a conversation with Assemblywoman Reyes. “We are educating new graduates and they don’t stay.”
Having a Nurse Committee at the hospital affords nurses an opportunity to discuss issues and review incident reports.
“We feel we are being heard,” she said. “We can pull up POAs (protest of assignment forms) and discuss what happened. We all should be heard.”
The same is not required at other facilities where PEF nurses work, such as the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), OMH, OCFS and OPWDD.
“These agencies are some of the toughest to fill vacancies and have high levels of overtime,” said Vice President Randi DiAntonio.
Committees help determine schedules and appropriate staffing levels and ratios. Nurses in each group shared similar stories of untenable nurse-to-patient ratios, making it hard to provide the level of care needed.
“You do the best you can,” said Cicatello. “As a nurse on an inpatient unit, I want to feel satisfied but some days when I leave, I ask myself, ‘Did I make a difference today?’”
Several legislators expressed support for nurse committees.
Transfer of medical oversight
As a former PEF member at the State Education Department (SED), Assemblywoman Hyndman expressed her support in opposing the Governor’s proposal to transfer medical licensure and discipline oversight from SED to the Department of Health (DOH).
“SED is already equipped and has been handling these tasks for more than 100 years,” said VP DiAntonio. “Transferring this authority to DOH could lead to politically motivated changes. SED is an independent department, while DOH is under direct control of the Governor.”
Nurse practitioner modernization
In 2022, a new law eliminated statutory requirements for nurse practitioners with more than 3,600 hours of experience to maintain collaborative relationships with physicians. That law was extended twice and is set to expire in June 2026.
PEF supports a proposal to make permanent the ability of nurse practitioners to practice on their own.
“We’re already doing it,” said Amy Pacholk, a nurse at Stony Brook University Hospital and co-chair of the PEF Statewide Nurses Committee. “It’s allowed in many other states and there are already shortages in the health care field, especially in rural areas. Many people have a personal connection with their nurse practitioners.”
Retiree issues
Several PEF Retirees joined Retirees President Jim Carr to lobby on behalf of issues important to the union’s retired members.
“New York’s retired public employees ask that policymakers reject proposals that increase out-of-pocket costs for those on fixed incomes and enact policies that support maintaining the standard of living for our retirees,” said Carr.
Retirees urged legislators to reject the unilateral reduction of the income related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA); and pass legislation to improve the cost-of-living adjustment and a skilled nursing benefit.
You can read more about all of PEF’s priorities – and send letters supporting the union’s requests – on the PEF website.
