![\"President](\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/State-ofthe-union-Header-1.jpg\")
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The president highlighted contract negotiations, pension reform, workplace safety, and efforts to protect public service.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is my 12<\/span>th<\/span> State of the Union address,\u201d President Spence said. \u201cWhen I became your president in 2015, I understood the responsibility you were placing in my hands. Eleven years later, I still feel that responsibility every day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is our largest Convention delegation since before the pandemic,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe state of our union is strong. We are in good shape, and we have real accomplishments to be proud of.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Keeping it strong, however, means ensuring that contractual wins are enforced, workplace concerns are addressed, and public employees have a voice in decisions affecting their future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A strong contract<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n President Spence gave the membership credit for ratifying the 2026-2031 contract for PEF\u2019s largest bargaining unit, Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PS&T) employees. The contract provides annual raises of 4.5%, 4%, 3.5%, 3%, and 3% – which compounds to 19.3% over the five-year term. It also continues the annual $600 higher education differential, increases location and inconvenience pay, adds a new hazard duty bonus pay for some members, and paves the way for PEF to bring dental and vision benefits in-house using $40 million of seed money provided by the State.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDo you know how we got this done?\u201d he asked delegates. \u201cWe did that! All of you did that. We did it collectively.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout the bargaining process, there were times when President Spence spoke directly to Gov. Kathy Hochul. And through it all there was the incredible work of the Contract Team under the leadership of Chair and Vice President Darlene Williams and the support and guidance of Chief Negotiator Mark Richard.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEvery agreement takes hard work and depends on the strength of our membership,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether you voted yes or no, you should be proud that your union values your voice. Members made the contract possible, and members decided our direction and that is union democracy. Now, we have to go enforce what we have won.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n President Spence urged members not to let management weaken contract provisions, including employee organizational leave and time needed to investigate concerns and pursue grievances. He also said PEF must keep the pressure on the State after receiving the results of the compensation study they must now contractually deliver by Jan. 30, 2027.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to examine the results closely,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to share what they mean for our members. If necessary, we\u2019re going to organize for the salary changes that we need. If the state tries to water down the response, you will hear from us and together we will be ready to act.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Safety must come first<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pay and benefits matter, but employees must also be safe at work.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat good is a contract if we don\u2019t live to spend it and benefit from it?\u201d President Spence said, describing ongoing concerns at numerous state agencies, where security shortages and serious incidents continue to impact members. At correctional and other facilities run by OMH, OPWDD and OCFS, PEF is pressing for adequate security measures, including barriers, reliable personal alarms, appropriate protective equipment, clinical support, violence prevention, and action to address exposures.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The president shared stories of members violently attacked at psychiatric centers and correctional facilities and Department of Transportation members working alongside speeding and\/or distracted motorists in work zones, all at risk of injury or death.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe state has a duty to provide a safe workplace, and we will keep insisting that it meets that duty,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not just physical violence or dangers: workplace bullying, harassment, and retaliation also hurt members.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOn September 8, we stood outside the Department of Financial Services in New York City because members and union staff had reported bullying, intimidation, and retaliation,\u201d President Spence said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The union debuted its 20-foot-tall inflatable bull, S.T.O.M.P. (Stop Treating Our Members Poorly), after jumping through rigorous permitting hoops, a strong visual that PEF won\u2019t stand for bullying.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe had fellow unions, community allies, elected officials, and PEF members from across New York City that came out there and stood with us,\u201d he said. \u201cFor a member who is afraid to speak up, seeing that support matters. It\u2019s not easy to stand up to bullying when the bully is your boss.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n President Spence shared his own past retaliation case from two decades ago, when as a Long Island parole officer he was suspended without pay and the state attempted to fire him after he testified at a legislative hearing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI pursued a federal case because I believe that speaking honestly about public service should not cost a public servant their career,\u201d he said. \u201cI understand when people try to bully you, intimidate you, and I\u2019m not going to sit by and let it happen to anybody.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fair hiring\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n President Spence also raised concerns about changes to state hiring practices stemming from the NY HELPS program, including the use of resume-based assessments and automated scoring.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the most consequential issues we face is the future of New York state\u2019s civil service system,\u201d he said. \u201cDuring the staffing crisis, PEF proposed a temporary hiring approach to bring qualified people into essential jobs. But the state response has grown far beyond the temporary approach that we advocated for.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n PEF supports faster testing, accessible exams and better recruitment, but warns against changes that could undermine equal opportunity or make hiring decisions harder to scrutinize. President Spence stressed the importance of representation and a secure future for PEF members hired under the NY HELPS program.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur concerns are with the state\u2019s policy choices and whether they preserve fairness for everyone,\u201d he said. \u201cMerit and fitness must remain central to any Civil Service transformation. We cannot modernize our way back to a patronage system.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pension reform<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Retirement security was another focus of the President\u2019s State of the Union address.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Key goals include restoring the 2% pension calculation after 20 years of service, allowing Tier 5 and 6 members to retire at age 55 with 30 years of service, and reducing early-retirement penalties to a maximum of 27%.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA comptroller\u2019s report says that 60% of the state workforce is now Tier 6,\u201d President Spence said. \u201cOn March 8, more than 15,000 union members and allies came to Albany to demand that New York Fix Tier 6. PEF helped bring that strength into the streets.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a result of that advocacy, Tier 6 members will now <\/span>pay less into their pension each paycheck<\/span><\/a>, depending on their salary range. PEF\u2019s push for pension reform is part of a broader effort to make public service a viable long-term career, recognize the contributions of workers, and ensure employees can retire with dignity and financial security.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"2026](\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/10\/2026-ConventionLogo.jpg\")
October 30, 2026 —\u00a0<\/em> President Wayne Spence delivered a clear message in his State of the Union address at Convention on Oct. 19, 2026: PEF made meaningful progress in the last year, but protecting those gains and making new ones will take continued solidarity, vigilance and member involvement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n