Legislative & political action
CSEA’s Legislative & Political Action Department analyzes proposed legislation for its impact on members, advocates for beneficial laws, opposes harmful ones, and partners with members and activists to support the campaigns of elected officials who share our values.
Tell Governor Hochul and the State Legislature to Fix Tier 6 in the final State Budget!
The State Legislature and Governor Hochul are currently negotiating the final State Budget. We need to make sure that the budget includes meaningful reforms to Tier 6!
Election information
New York State 2026 Elections!
Voting is one of the most powerful ways CSEA members can make their voices heard, and 2026 offers several important opportunities to do just that.
In New York, school district elections take place on May 19, when voters help decide school budgets and elect board members who shape the future of public education in their communities.
This is followed by the primary election on June 23, where CSEA-endorsed candidate Tom DiNapoli will face a primary challenge in his bid for re-election, and then the general election on November 3, when CSEA-endorsed candidate Kathy Hochul faces a tough re-election campaign.
CSEA has endorsed many candidates who stand up for workers and public services.
Statewide Endorsements
• Governor Kathy Hochul for Re-election — Learn More About Our Endorsement Here
• Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for Re-election — Learn More About Our Endorsement Here
• Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James for Re-election
Find an endorsed candidate in your region below and make your plan to vote.
CSEA 2026 Endorsements by Region
School Districts:
Franklin Square UFSD
Patrick Amato – Board Trustee
Hicksville UFSD
Sunita Manjrekar – Board Trustee
Danielle Fotopoulos – Board Trustee
Levittown CSD
Jenn Messina – Board Trustee
Phyllis Dalton – Board Trustee
Patchogue-Medford CSD
Mark Grossman – Board Trustee
Laura Banse – Board Trustee
Vote YES on budget and prop 2
Congressional:
Congressional District NY-6 — Grace Meng
Congressional District NY-7 — Antonio Reynoso
Congressional District NY-8 — Hakeem Jeffries
Congressional District NY-10 — Dan Goldman
Congressional District NY-13 — Adriano Espaillat
State Senate:
Senate District 13 – Jessica Ramos
Senate District 23 – Jessica Scarcella-Spanton
Senate District 25 – Jabari Brisport
Senate District 29 – Jose Serrano
State Assembly:
Assembly District 28 – Andrew Hevesi
Assembly District 38 – Jennifer Rajkumar
Assembly District 54 – Erik Dilan
Assembly District 56 – Stefani Zinerman
Assembly District 59 – Jamie Williams
Assembly District 68 – Eddie Gibbs
Assembly District 70 – Jordan Wright
Assembly District 81 – Jeffrey Dinowitz
Assembly District 82 – Michael Benedetto
School Districts:
Middletown CSD
Deymiss Caraballo – Board of Education
Freddie Williams – Board of Education
Terry Randolph – Board of Education
Poughkeepsie CSD
Debra Long – Board of Education
State Assembly:
Assembly District 90 – Frank Jereis
Assembly District 106 – Didi Barrett
Westchester County:
Legislative District 1 – Colin Smith
Legislative District 2 – Erika Pierce
Legislative District 3 – Margaret Cunzio
Legislative District 4 – Vedat Gashi
Legislative District 5 – Jenn Puja
Legislative District 7 – Anant Nambiar
Legislative District 9 – Emiljana Ulaj
Legislative District 10 – Judah Holstein
Legislative District 16 – Shanae Williams
School Districts:
Cairo Durham CSD
Stephen Brandow – School Board
Bernadette Gavin-Palmieri – School Board
Nicole Plank May – School Board
Vote YES on budget
Shenendehowa CSD
Eric Leander – School Board
Sarah Schanz – School Board
Vote YES on budget
State Assembly:
Assembly District 123 – Dan Livingston
Assembly District 129 – William Magnarelli
Congressional:
Congressional District NY-25 — Joseph Morelle
State Senate:
Senate District 61 – Jon Rivera
State Assembly:
Assembly District 130 – Mark Johns
Assembly District 137 – Demond Meeks
Assembly District 149 – Adam Bojak
Learn about CSEA’s member driven endorsement process
Have you registered to vote?
Your vote is your voice. For more information, call 1-800-FOR-VOTE (1-800-367-8683)
Advocating in New York State
Legislative Action Center
Each legislative session, our union reviews more than 20,000 bills introduced in the New York State Legislature. Over 40% of which directly affect the jobs and lives of CSEA members. Thanks to the activism of union members, we’ve achieved key legislative successes. Read below to learn more about those victories and the issues we’re continuing to fight for to improve members’ lives.
WHAT CSEA IS WORKING ON
Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a $260 billion State Budget for fiscal year 2027. Her budget is focused on affordability, with proposals to provide universal childcare, reduce utility rates, cut the cost of auto and home insurance, as well as build affordable housing. This budget contains no layoffs, facility closures, or service cuts.
Please review our Summary of the New York State Budget Proposal Fiscal Year 2027.
CSEA is providing testimony on various components of the budget, including public protection, human services, transportation, higher education, mental hygiene. and workforce development and labor.
Tell Governor Hochul and the State Legislature to Fix Tier 6 in the final State Budget!
During this year’s legislative session, fixing Tier 5 and 6 is CSEA’s top priority. These tiers changed the rules on retirement, forcing members to work longer and pay more for smaller benefits, making it harder for public service jobs to compete with the private sector. CSEA is pushing for real pension reforms that put more money back in members’ pockets at retirement by reducing the contribution rate to 3%.
To learn more, visit the Fix Tier 6 page. Help us secure the retirement our Tier 5 and 6 members deserve — join the fight!
Fair Retirement for Court Officers
A bill has passed both houses of the legislature to allow court officers and peace officers employed by the Unified Court System to retire at age 55 with 30 years of service. This legislation takes a big step towards pension parity for these law enforcement personnel. Improving the pension will help the Unified Court System recruit and retain sufficient staff to keep facilities safe and secure.
Write a letter to Governor Hochul urging her to sign this bill!
- Workplace violence at the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles: Summary of Annual Review of Workplace Violence Incident Reports: 2023-2024
- Protecting DMV and highway workers from assault
- Increasing penalties for violating the state’s Move Over Law
- Increasing penalties for speeding in a work zone
This bill has passed both houses of the legislature to align supervision requirements for CSEA’s home-based child care providers with what is required in child care centers.
Right now, home-based child care providers must have one caregiver for every two children under 24 months old. However, child care centers are only required to follow this ratio for children under 18 months. This bill which would fix this by aligning the standard of supervision for children under 18 months. This simple change will create more child care slots, which will support home-based child care providers and increase access to affordable infant care for New York families.
OUR UNION’S SUCCESSES
The following successes are due to the activism of CSEA members.
This session delivered several important victories for CSEA. We led the charge to regulate how artificial intelligence (AI) is used by local governments, school districts, community colleges, and SUNY, ensuring workers aren’t replaced by these new technologies. We were also successful in getting bills done to improve recruitment and retention in the public sector, improve conditions for home-based child care providers and much more.
- Legislative Victories: Local Governments
- Legislative Victories: Civil Service
- Legislative Victories: Health care
- Legislative Victories: K-12
- Legislative Victories: SUNY
- Legislative Victories: OMH & OPWDD
- Legislative Victories: Child care
- Legislative Victories: Work Zone Speed Cameras
- Legislative Victories: DMNA Firefighters 25-Year Retirement
CSEA is celebrating the inclusion of reforms to the Tier 6 pension plan in the FY 2025 State Budget.
The enacted state budget includes a change to how pensions are calculated. Under the new law, a Tier 6 employee’s pension will be based on their top three years of earnings instead of five years. This change will increase retirement security for Tier 6 employees and make Tier 6 look more like earlier pension tiers.
The 2024 New York State legislative session was a successful one for CSEA. In addition to achieving a significant reform to Tier 6 and new investments in the state and local government workforce in the FY2025 state budget, we also achieved several legislative successes prior to the Senate and Assembly’s adjournment for the year.
This Week in Albany
This Week in Albany is CSEA’s weekly political action newsletter intended to keep members updated on recent developments in politics and legislature.
PEOPLE: Public Employees Organized to Promote Legislative Equality
PEOPLE
Learn about PEOPLE, a voluntary CSEA and AFSCME program where participating members contribute funds which are then used to advance CSEA’s agenda.
Federal Action Center
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the Federal Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 1) into law, ushering in sweeping changes to federal spending that will hit New York especially hard. The law slashes billions in federal aid, shifting costs onto the state and local governments, and threatens essential services that working families rely on. With $10 billion in cuts and cost shifts to the state budget, $13 billion in health care reductions—including deep cuts to safety-net hospitals—and the loss of SNAP benefits for 300,000 New Yorkers, the fallout will be felt in every community. Public services, jobs, and the health and well-being of millions of New Yorkers are now at risk.
Helpful materials
In our fight against these cuts, we are providing members with flyers, including FAQs, fact sheets, and more. Use the links below, but if you are interested in learning more or having a presentation with your members, contact your Political Action Coordinator.
CSEA’S POLITICAL ACTION STAFF
Legislative and Political Action Office, Albany
(518) 436 – 8622
Joshua Terry
Director of Legislative and Political Action
Davin Carroll
Assistant to the Director
Alex George
Legislative Representative
Aurora Falvius
Legislative Representative
Kim Wallace-Russo
Statewide PEOPLE Coordinator
Bob Hawley
Systems Specialist
Libbie Miller
PEOPLE Program Assistant/Secretary
Deanna Brady
Secretary
Sue Castle, Coordinator
(631) 462 – 0030
sue.castle@cseainc.org
Matthew D’Amico, Coordinator
(212) 406 – 2156
matt.damico@cseainc.org
Chris Ludlow, Coordinator
(845) 831 – 1000
chris.ludlow@cseainc.org
Bryan Gorman, Coordinator
(518) 782 – 4400
bryan.gorman@cseainc.org
Josh Schick, Coordinator
(315) 433 – 0050
josh.schick@cseainc.org
Chris Rackl, Coordinator
(716) 691 – 6555
chris.rackl@cseainc.org