At its quarterly board meeting on Sept. 18, 2026, the elected members of the PEF Executive Board, representing 62,000 professional employees across New York State,voted to endorse Governor Kathy Hochul.
“Governor Hochul and her team negotiated a strong contract this year with PEF members, helping us secure a 5-year labor agreement that will deliver compounded raises of more than 19% for the public service professionals in our union,” said PEF President Wayne Spence. “Since taking office in 2021, she has lifted the state hiring freeze, allowing PEF membership to grow and enabling New Yorkers to access needed services more readily, supported Tier 6 pension reforms that provide greater pension parity for public servants and help offset inflation, invested in New York’s public safety net hospitals, including $1 billion to modernize SUNY Downstate In Brooklyn and $450 million in capital support for SUNY Upstate in Syracuse, and expanded workers’ compensation benefits to include job-related mental health injuries. While there is always more work to do, PEF recognizes that Governor Kathy Hochul has been a strong partner as we work collectively to rebuild state-operated programs and services after a decade of underfunding and understaffing.”