May 7, 2026 — PEF President Wayne Spence sent an email blast to all members on May 1 with a simple message: Tell New York State to release the comprehensive pay study they conducted.
“As the PEF Contract Team travels around the State and meets with members, we are hearing loud and clear that affordability is a universal problem no matter where you live or what job you do,” said President Spence in the email. “Everything is going up, except for wages. That is why it’s more important than ever that New York complete the compensation study and release the results.”
In 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul pledged to commission a study to look into how State workers are compensated. PEF was among the loudest labor voices pushing for the data, because the union believes that the state needs to provide market-based salaries for its professional, scientific and technical (PS&T) workforce. Inadequate pay is one of the main reasons PEF members leave their Statejobs, and one of the chief deterrents when it comes to hiring new staff.
In 2025, the New York State Department of Civil Service finally selected a vendor to do the study which was slated to be completed on January 15, 2026. PEF’s goal from the outset was to use the data to argue for salary increases and other economic benefits during contract negotiations. PEF leaders have now been told the study won’t be finished until July 15, 2026, more than three months after PEF’s PS&T contract expired on April 1.
Members are encouraged to send this email to Governor Kathy Hochul and the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Civil Service Timothy Hogues. Like the legislative letters PEF asks members to send every session pushing for union priorities, these letters really do make a difference. A union’s strength is in its numbers and if tens of thousands of PEF members register their support, it will help push the Governor and Commissioner to publicly release the study.