October 14, 2026 — Everyone deserves dignity, a life they can afford, and real opportunity. That’s why we organize and fight for a secure retirement for all workers, for safe working conditions, a fair wage, affordable quality insurance, and a secure pension.
America belongs to all of us — the people who care, who show up, and the ones who fight for dignity, a life we can afford, and real opportunity — not the wealthy few.
We are Union Strong, engaged, and fired up for the next election!
We are educators, healthcare workers, and public service professionals. We show up every day to support our kids, our families, and our communities. We will not back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty. We will build community, not division. We demand opportunity, not hardship.
On Election Day, we are coming together to vote for the values that unite us: safe and welcoming schools, affordable healthcare, strong communities, and a voice for every person.
Americans deserve safe, welcoming schools; affordable healthcare and higher education; the right to form and join unions; fair pay and safe working conditions; a secure retirement; and a strong democracy where every person is valued and every vote counts.
That’s why communities across the nation must rise up to protect our freedoms and our future. We must make clear that in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption and cruelty.
But as we fight for working people, President Trump escalates his authoritarian power grab. He thinks his rule is absolute. He is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants. Threatening to overtake elections. Gutting healthcare, environmental protections, and education when families need them most. Rigging maps to silence voters. Ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities. Driving up the cost of living while handing out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle. Starting a war of choice and coming out worse than before!
We need competent leadership — we need fairness, opportunity, and respect for all.
We need to turn out this November and elect candidates who support unions and working-class values! Our union does a great job of vetting candidates from both parties, then endorsing the best candidate who supports unions, workers and retirees.
The biggest mistake we can make is not to be involved. Our unique republic (this year we celebrate 250 years of our blessings as a country) only thrives if we stay engaged. Positions and perspectives chosen by individuals are what is protected by our constitution but cannot exist without our support and engagement.
So, show up if you can, express your views to your representatives, and always care enough to stay informed. We are entering a crucial time which will lay out the path to determine our future.
Be an informed voter. Your union has an excellent candidate vetting process where we send every candidate a questionnaire about the issues that impact our members. If the candidate seeks our endorsement, we interview at the regional level and the regions make their recommendations to the Statewide Political Action Committee (SW PAC) for consideration. The SW PAC votes on the recommendations and then the Executive Board has the final say.
PEF endorses candidates on both sides of the aisle. Incumbents are judged by their voting record on member issues. If an incumbent has a terrible voting record, we may endorse the opponent or recommend no endorsement.
Early voting starts in New York on October 24 so check your local Board of Elections for the time and place. Visit https://www.pef.org/departments/political-action/ and scroll down to PEF Endorsements for candidates the Executive Board voted to support.
Together, we will stand up, speak up, show up, and vote — because when we fight, we win.
In Solidarity,
Jim Carr
Statewide President
PEF RETIREES