Members of the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) turned out in force to ratify a new five-year labor agreement, which runs through April 1, 2031. The union includes approximately 60,000 state employees in a wide variety of professional, scientific and technical titles. The ratified contract include a 4.5% raise in the first year of the agreement, then 4.0%, 3.5%, 3.0% and 3.0% in each of the next four years. The contract also includes boosts to location pay and several other unit-specific payments. Members also will gain 20 hours of paid pre-natal leave and an increase in the cap for sick leave accumulation. The agreement also includes reasonable updates to health insurance that will reduce costs for members by eliminating certain co-pays and providing incentives to use in-network providers.
