Collective bargaining is the foundation that organized labor is built on. Truly, it’s at the heart of what unions are and what unions do for their members. When UUP negotiates a contract for its members, our union has a equal hand in determining terms of employment—including compensation, job protections, benefits, work hours and more—with our employer, the state of New York. Over the years, UUP has achieved many gains through collective bargaining, from securing health care...

UUP President Fred Kowal sits down with New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for an in-studio interview that covers DiNapoli's longtime role as a trusted friend of UUP and organized labor. In 2024, UUP honored Tom with our Friend of SUNY award, which recognizes distinguished service to SUNY and the progressive development of public higher education in our state. Kowal and DiNapoli also talk about DiNapoli's political career, his strong support of SUNY and public higher educatio...

Our guest on The Voice Podcast is Congressman Paul Tonko, a Democrat who represents New York's 20th Congressional District. A longtime state Assembly member who was elected to Congress in 2008, Tonko has been a fighter for his constituents, for higher education and for organized labor. He's come out against the war in Iran, calling it reckless and unjustified. He's also called for the abolition of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, citing the death and destruction the agen...

In this episode of The Voice Podcast, UUP President Fred Kowal talks with National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Collin O'Mara. Kowal, who hosts the podcast, is chair of the NWF's board of directors. O'Mara discusses how he became the NWF's president and CEO and what led him to the post. He and Kowal talk about the intricacies of navigating political channels to protect and preserve the nationwide organization's conservation efforts and move its agenda forward. They talk a...

People are really important to Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. As a member of Congress representing District 19—a vastly rural 8,000-mile district spanning 11 counties—the lieutenant governor held dozens of in-person and virtual town hall meetings during his two terms as a House member, reaching out to thousands of his constituents. His dedication to his job and the people—again that word—he represents hasn’t wavered as the state’s second-in-command. Appointed by Gov. Kathy H...

New York AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento talks about his role in leading one of the most powerful state federations in the country on the latest episode of The Voice Podcast. Cilento and UUP President Fred Kowal, the podcast’s host, talk about Cilento's role in making the state AFL-CIO into a year-round legislative action network that has only grown stronger since he became president in 2011. The NYS AFL-CIO represents more than 2.2 million members across the state in both public and pr...

NYPIRG Executive Director Blair Horner is never at a loss for words when it comes to protecting the public’s right to know—and to act. In his more than 40 years as NYPIRG’s legislative director—and later as its executive director—Blair has advocated for a wide range of important issues, including energy reform, government openness, ethics and accountability, campaign finance reform, the environment, climate change, voting rights and health care among many others. Everybody who’s anybody...

Somehow, diversity, equity and inclusion is under attack. Pushed by a small but very vocal group of right-wing conservatives, attacks on DEI have escalated over recent months as they have been embraced by powerful Republican politicians. And more than a few have been directed at public higher education. In Texas, the Republican-led Legislature voted in late May to ban offices, programs and initiatives to promote diversity, equity and inclusion at Texas public colleges and univers...

On this episode of The Voice Podcast, UUP president and host Fred Kowal talks state and national politics with Liz Benjamin, the former host of Spectrum News's statewide political program “Capital Tonight." Benjamin, who spent 15 years as a hard-hitting political print reporter and columnist for the Albany Times Union and the New York Daily News, moved to Spectrum in 2010. In 2019, she became a managing director of Marathon Strategies, a national public relations firm specializing in strate...

On this episode of The Voice, UUP President Fred Kowal talks with former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, who for decades has been a champion for mental health equity and combatting substance abuse—and is recognized as one of the nation's most respected voices on mental health equity, parity, addiction and recovery. Kennedy—the son of Sen. Ted Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy—talks about his efforts to bring about more understanding and...