{"id":9885,"date":"2026-10-27T11:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T15:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/?p=9885"},"modified":"2026-10-27T11:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T15:06:09","slug":"convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-44-no-9\/convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Convention speakers rally delegates to action"},"content":{"rendered":"

October 26, 2026 —<\/em> \u201cThere are really only three ways that regular folks have power in America,\u201d Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), told delegates on the first day of Convention. \u201cOne way is through education, one is through having a labor movement, and the last way is through politics.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"RandiWeingarten praised PEF for a productive year, which included negotiating a five-year contract, pension improvements, and continuing the fight for dignity and respect in the workplace. She urged everyone to get involved in the process and to hit the polls in November.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that no contract and no legislative session can do everything,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is something that one builds on because we have to constantly fight for a better life. That\u2019s why elections matter. We need people in Congress, and we need people in the State Legislature that are willing to fight for regular people and fight for working class people.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The American Dream is harder to achieve now than ever before, Weingarten said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot of anxiety, (and) not just about affordability,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople are really upset about wanting to make their lives better and not seeing a way. We need to ensure the future of Social Security, we need to fix the health care system, we need to fix the immigration system. This is not radical. This is the American dream. It\u2019s about time we have a legislature here and in Washington that focuses on this in words and actions. You are not powerless.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Attorney General Letitia James<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AttorneyNew York\u2019s strong labor movement took center stage during New York State Attorney General Letitia James\u2019 speech, too.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe deeply in the right to collective bargaining,\u201d she said. \u201cI will continue fighting against those seeking to undermine unions and weaken worker protections.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

James said factions such as the Freedom Foundation are attacking the union movement and trying to turn New York into a \u201cright-to-work\u201d state.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe must stand together,\u201d she said. \u201cI will continue to fight to ensure New York remains a union town because labor is the key. Labor is a tool to address poverty and income disparity. Unions have been at the forefront of just about every big struggle.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She said this year\u2019s Convention theme, <\/span>Rooted in Solidarity, Rising in Strength<\/span><\/i>, is PEF\u2019s power.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you carry that spirit back to your workplaces and to your community,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen PEF speaks with one voice, Albany listens.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"U.S.U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy expressed gratitude and solidarity in his address to the delegates.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou keep our state running, you deliver our services, protect our communities, and make sure government works for the people,\u201d he said. \u201cCongratulations on ratifying a new five-year contract with raises, benefits, and workplace gains that reflect what workers can accomplish when they stand together and demand a fair deal.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kennedy said people who dedicate their careers to helping others should be able to build a stable future for themselves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo one should have to choose between earning a paycheck and going home safely at the end of the day,\u201d he said. \u201cNo workers should have to fight year after year for the basic protections and resources they need. At the end of the day, it comes down to a simple principle: People who do work in New York deserve a fair share of the opportunities and prosperity that you helped create.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SEIU President April Verrett<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PEF\u2019s contract wins couldn\u2019t come at a more important time, said SEIU President April Verrett in a recorded message played for delegates.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWorking people are being squeezed from every single direction,\u201d she said. \u201cThe rent is just too damn high. Groceries simply cost too much. Health care and childcare are putting families in impossible situations.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She said people are left wondering whether they’ll ever get ahead.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWork should provide more than a paycheck,\u201d Verrett said. \u201cIt should provide hope, and it should provide a future. And while families are struggling to make ends meet, we’re seeing attacks on the very institutions and protections that working people have fought for and depend on.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Embracing this year\u2019s Convention theme, Verrett said strength has always come from a union\u2019s willingness to stand together.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re fighting for three pretty simple things. Money. Power. Respect,\u201d she said. \u201cMoney to build a secure future. Power over the decisions that shape our work and our lives. And respect. Respect for the essential contributions working people make every single day. Your contract victory is proof that those aren’t just words, they’re things we can win. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished. Take pride in the power that you’ve built.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

WNYALF President Denise Abbott<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"WNYALFDenise Abbott, president of the Western New York Area Labor Federation, shared with delegates the deep union roots of the area \u2013 from the petroleum industry to the first union drive at Starbucks to the home of the only union dues-paying NFL team, the Buffalo Bills.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a union town, and solidarity runs in our blood,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope you leave here with an extra dose of strength and unity in you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

October 26, 2026 — \u201cThere are really only three ways that regular folks have power in America,\u201d Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), told delegates…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"division":[],"allowed_regions":[],"allowed_divisions":[],"class_list":["post-9885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","issue-volume-44-no-9"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nConvention speakers rally delegates to action - PEF Communicator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-44-no-9\/convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Convention speakers rally delegates to action\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"October 26, 2026 — \u201cThere are really only three ways that regular folks have power in America,\u201d Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), told delegates...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-44-no-9\/convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PEF Communicator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-27T15:06:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/Randi-W.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"356\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ksheehan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ksheehan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-44-no-9\\\/convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-44-no-9\\\/convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ksheehan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b56382350a9a958e03dcd60443bfbf7e\"},\"headline\":\"Convention speakers rally delegates to action\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-27T15:06:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-44-no-9\\\/convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":874,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-44-no-9\\\/convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Randi-W.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-44-no-9\\\/convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-44-no-9\\\/convention-speakers-rally-delegates-to-action\\\/\",\"name\":\"Convention speakers rally delegates to action - 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