April 30, 2026 — This month I’m going to focus my column on the importance of staying informed and engaged about political issues. This is more important now than ever. While some hoped the new administration in Washington would tackle the cost of living for working families and retirees, its first months prioritized billionaires like Elon Musk at the expense of workers, veterans, students and their families. It’s been chaotic and cruel. We must meet this moment with a fight for dignity and opportunity for all, particularly working families.
Some believe the American dream is reserved for the rich and elite, but unions stand unapologetically with working people, fighting for higher wages, lower costs, safe working conditions, a secure retirement and a voice at work.
To build a better future, we must:
Nurture community, while others sow chaos.
Fight in Congress, the courts and in the court of public opinion, and even in commerce to make working families the priority.
We must wage this fight at the bargaining table and the ballot box, in the halls of power and on the streets. We must fight for safe, fully funded, welcoming public service jobs, public schools and colleges that prepare and support our children for careers and life.
We must fight for a functioning government that works for all Americans. We must fight for funding and policies that help people, like safe healthcare staffing. We must fight against cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, and education. We must fight for the vital safety net programs that are being threatened.
We must fight for freedom and opportunity for all, which only comes with real democracy – one that delivers for working people.
Progress is possible but not guaranteed; we must continue to fight for the promise of America – for opportunity, dignity, respect and a better life for all.
Elections matter
Our fight is not with one party or another, it’s with bad public policy that attacks unions, workers and retirees. Your party affiliation doesn’t matter, what’s important is that you educate yourself and vote. We must look at where candidates stand on issues that matter to us.
This year is an important election at all levels of government. Many candidates will have a primary election on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Remember, to vote in a primary you must be registered in the party holding a primary.
There is one primary in the Democratic Party of great importance for PEF members and retirees! That’s our PEF-endorsed Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Unfortunately, it’s a sign of the times and it appears some candidates are looking at our pension fund. Please vote in all primaries for the party you’re affiliated with, and if you’re not registered to vote, now would be a great time to get registered.
Here’s just a few examples of Tom DiNapoli’s accomplishments as our Comptroller:
- Identified billions in waste, fraud, and cost savings in government.
- Uncovered corruption in state and local governments, leading to dozens of arrests and tens of billions of dollars in restitution.
- Provided robust oversight of school district operations and education spending.
- Successfully advocated for state law changes to increase oversight of special education contractors after widespread abuse was found.
- Developed an early warning system to identify municipalities in school districts showing signs of fiscal stress.
- Earned a reputation as one of the leading shareholder voices on many corporate concerns, including environmental issues in corporate political spending.
- Opened up government spending on his transparency website Open Book New York.
- Led the fight for prudent fiscal and procurement reforms to help New York change how it does business and put it on better fiscal footing.
- Streamlined claims process for individuals to recover loss money. Returning millions in unclaimed funds to their rightful owners every year.
- Manages the New York state common retirement fund, which is one of the largest public pension funds in the United States.
On Capitol Hill
I recently had the privilege of attending the annual in-person meeting of the AFT Retirees Public Policy Committee in Washington, where we created a 2025-2026 Action Plan with Objectives, Goals and Expectations. You can find information here.
I always learn many important things at these meetings. We attended a press conference on artificial intelligence (AI) sponsored by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on the dangers of unregulated AI. Union leaders and members from across America attended. You can check it out on the AFT Retirees Facebook page (anyone may join this group)! I would also recommend you check out the PEF Retirees website.