April 3, 2026 — Former PEF President Roger Benson passed away peacefully with his family by his side on April 1, 2026. He was 81 years old.
Benson served nine years as PEF President from 1997-2006. While working for New York State as a research scientist at the Department of Health’s Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany, Benson became active in PEF, serving in several leadership roles before running for president and winning election in 1997.
“Roger Benson’s steady leadership, integrity, and unwavering commitment to our union laid a strong foundation for those who followed,” said PEF President Spence, who credits Benson for giving him invaluable advice when he first took office in 2015.
“He said, ‘If you don’t have a mission and you don’t have a vision, how do you know where you are going? How do the people around you know where you’re going?’” recalled Spence. “So, I established a mission and a vision, which we still have today. His legacy endures in the progress we continue to make on behalf of our members.”
In his first term, following the expiration of the 1995-1999 PEF contract, after members had spent more than a year working without a successor agreement, Benson led 20,000 members at a protest in Albany, calling out then-Governor George Pataki. Members were joined in solidarity by thousands of members from CSEA. In response, the governor mobilized 300 State troopers.
“Our members refused to be intimidated by an army of state and local police who were clearly under orders to try to muzzle us,” said Benson at the time. “Our members came to personally deliver their own message to the governor — ‘Give us a Fair Contract Now!’ — while he was presenting his State of the State address at the Capitol.”
By standing up to the Governor and making their case in the media, PEF eventually came to terms on a strong retroactive contract for the years 1999-2003, delivering annual raises and a lump-sum payment of $500. During his tenure as PEF president, Benson would negotiate another strong contract that ran from 2003-2007 with across-the-board raises for the membership.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Benson went to bat for the families of members who were killed when insurance companies were slow to pay benefits. He mobilized staff and the PEF Membership Benefits Program to support those families and later oversaw the dedication of the 9/11 Memorial at PEF headquarters in Latham—a tribute in granite to those who were lost.
In his second term, from 2000-2003, Benson led PEF in its fight against Governor George Pataki’s attempts to slash the State budget, ultimately saving 11 facilities and 5,000 member jobs.
He also created the PEF Nurse Organizer position to mobilize and empower the union’s more than 11,000 nurses.
After winning an historic third term in 2003, Benson and his PEF team created a “Go Public” campaign, which advocated for a suite of legislation to expose the use of private contractors in State government. Most of the bills were passed into law, leading to far greater transparency regarding the State’s use of consultants and the resulting cost to taxpayers.
“The politicians win two ways,” Benson was quoted in the May 2006 issue of the PEF Communicator. “They can tell voters they’ve cut the state workforce, and they can collect big campaign donations from the grateful contractors.”
After declining to run for a fourth term, Benson retired to spend more time with his loved ones and pursue his passion for restoring classic cars. He is survived by his sister Marta Benson-Pike and his son Alexander Benson.
Calling hours will be held April 7 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at New Comer Funeral Home, 343 New Karner Rd. in Colonie. A funeral service will take place April 8 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by a burial ceremony in Albany Rural Cemetery, 3 Cemetery Rd. in Albany. A Celebration of Life Luncheon will follow at the Desmond in the Fort Orange Ballroom, located at 660 Albany Shaker Rd. in Albany from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
