This month, we wrapped up the 2026 New York Legislative Session, so after a lot of negotiations back and forth, meetings with legislators, and new challenges faced this year, we can report that we had several BIG wins, alongside a great deal of progress on other pieces of priority legislation to protect our jobs, make workplaces safer, and strengthen our state for working families. WINS✓ Ending mandatory fees for SUNY graduate workers once and for all! This was a years-long effort to complete the phase out of mandatory fees that SUNY graduate student workers had previously been required to pay back to the university (their employer), and to codify that protection into a law. This is a huge victory! ✓ Raising revenue for New York: The budget included a pied-a-terre tax (an additional tax on second homes in New York City worth over $5 million). CWA has long fought for the wealthiest people and corporations to pay their fair share in order to fund investments in our communities. ✓ Improving Tier 6: State and public workers in Tier 6, including our own members, will see lower contribution rates to their retirement, and the amount of overtime eligible for inclusion in calculating retirement benefits will increase. ✓ Universal child care: New York State will have truly universal Pre-K by the 2028/2029 school year. New York City will receive funding to launch its 2-K program and make 3-K truly universal. There is also funding for pilot programs for 0-3 year olds in Broome, Monroe, and Dutchess Counties. ✓ Fair News Act: Once signed, media companies will be required to disclose to the public when they publish content substantially created by AI, an important step forward in protecting our work and the general public as technology changes. ✓ Funding for the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies: We won $8 million to fund a cornerstone labor studies institution. ✓ Public Broadcasting funding: We worked with the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET)–CWA to fight for additional funding for public broadcasting given federal government cuts, and secured $14 million in funding for public TV and radio, $2 million in additional funding for public radio, as well as an additional funding for WSKG in Binghamton, one of the most at-risk stations where NABET-CWA members work.  We also made significant progress on our comprehensive legislation to regulate broadband, which requires the Public Service Commission to hold internet service providers accountable to service quality standards that protect consumers and ensure public safety and resiliency. We also continued the fight for frontline healthcare workers by furthering legislation that would end mandatory overtime requirements that put patients and workers at risk.    This has been a hugely successful legislative year — both in terms of what we’ve won, and seeing our LPAT continue to grow! And it would not have happened without the dual forces of our political action work: turning out in force to get good candidates elected to office, and many, many conversations and advocacy with those elected officials throughout the legislative session.   It’s never been more clear: ELECTIONS MATTER. None of this progress would’ve happened without pro-worker legislators in office willing to work with us Every New Yorker is strongly encouraged to get to the polls to cast your vote for candidates who will work alongside working people to strengthen this state. Go to cwad1.org/vote2026ny to see who CWA has endorsed in your area! CWA District 1 80 Pine Street, 37th Floor New York NY, 10005 cwad1.orgText CWAD1 to 49484 to Join Our Text List. You will receive CWA news & info. Recurring messages. Message & data rates may apply. Terms & Conditions: cwa.org/sms-terms. Privacy Policy: cwa.org/privacy. |