The president of New York's state workers' union made history over the weekend — becoming the first person to be elected to a fourth consecutive, three-year term to lead the Public Employees Federation.

PEF President Wayne Spence will lead the union for another three years, fighting for roughly 56,000 workers across all state agencies. About two-thirds of the roughly 10,000 PEF members who submitted a ballot voted for Spence, who worked as a parole officer for nearly 30 years.

"It was a bit surreal," Spence told Spectrum News 1 on Monday. "Considering when I was first elected in 2015, it was by a very narrow margin. This time around, it was almost by 70%."

Spence, who became PEF's first African American president in 2015, added he was skeptical to seek a fourth term, but said people asked him to run again.

"I didn't want to do it because I wanted to break a record. I wanted to do it because people thought I was relevant," he said.

Spence was inaugurated Saturday at The Desmond Hotel in Albany after remarks by Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. State Attorney General Letitia James administered the oath of office.

"You have enriched our state," Hochul said at Saturday's swearing-in ceremony. "Your members have bettered the lives of thousands — if not millions — of New Yorkers every single day. That's a big deal."

Hochul noted Spence's resiliency, recalling his immigration to the U.S. from Jamaica at age 10, and classified Spence as "a tough negotiator."

"That's good for you — it's not always good for me," the governor joked to the crowd. "But he gets what he needs for his members."

As he starts his fourth term, Spence said improving the recruitment and retention of state workers is his top priority. And other states with different tax structures like Delaware or Florida frequently recruit New York state workers.

"We are recruiting well, but we are not retaining well; we still have a ways to go," he said. "There was a time when a manager would say, 'You would be lucky if you have a state job because if not, you can go flip burgers at McDonald's. That's not the same anymore."

Shortly after taking office, Hochul ended the state worker hiring freeze implemented in the '90s to fill thousands of open positions in state agencies.

PEF members have recently increased efforts to end perpetual harassment and abuse of state workers, pushing the Legislature to codify definitions of bullying and a toxic work environment into state law.

Spence said exposing bad managers, increasing worker pay and reforming outdated civil service exam rules will boost staff retention, but it needs to happen quickly. 

"If we don't step on the gas, it could be two years from now [and] we'll still be having this conversation," the union president said.

This year's state budget included pension reform to improve retirement benefits for state employees under Tier 6, including teachers and municipal workers.

Spence said the change is not enough to see a difference in staff retention.

"The changes done thus far was a step in the right direction," he said. "Civil service workers... they all agree that the tier system is not working, but these changes are not going to come overnight."

Assembly Governmental Operations Committee chair John McDonald said the Legislature will work with PEF to educate workers about their rights and how to file an abuse complaint.

"We need to have a very open mind and open eyes and ears to see what is the best way to modernize civil service and modernize bringing people on board," McDonald said.

But the assemblyman said the state workforce needs to find a balance of remote and in-office positions.

"From PEF's standpoint, from the Legislature's perspective and also from the executive's perspective... We're all trying to figure out where is that sweet spot?" McDonald said. "Where is balance really true?"

Spence, 58, has not decided if his fourth term to serve as PEF's president will be his last. He said Monday many issues he wanted to tackle since 2015 persist, but that in another three years, it may be time to pass the torch to a new generation.

"I believe this time around, I am going to be really planning very hard to start transitioning," Spence said. "I'm not going to say I'm not going to run again ... But when you get in this line of work, you'd like to retire with a win — you don't want to go out a loser, and you also don't want to overstay your welcome."