Labor
The 2026 Labor Power 100
The top union officials and worker advocates in New York.
City & State presents the 2026 Labor Power 100. Kervin Perez; CWA Local 1180; Alex Kaplan Photography
Organized labor is on the march. Unions are enjoying strong public support, with approval ratings at the highest level in decades. Union membership is steady at 10% in the U.S., and more than double that rate – and rising – in New York state, which trails only Hawaii nationally. New York unions have notched organizing victories, adding New York City Ferry workers, public defenders and “Sesame Street” writers to their ranks.
Labor leaders have also been flexing their muscles on the policy front. Public sector unions secured more generous benefits in Albany, perhaps most notably reforming the state’s Tier 6 pension benefits. State legislation banning surveillance pricing, protecting construction workers and requiring transparency around artificial intelligence use have advanced with labor support, while New York City lawmakers have introduced measures that would dismantle Amazon’s last-mile delivery network, shield retirees’ healthcare benefits and set a $30 hourly minimum wage.
The Labor Power 100 highlights the union leaders and worker advocates on the front lines of these and countless other battles – from organizing campaigns and contract negotiations to political and policymaking pushes.
1. Henry Garrido
With contract negotiations looming for District Council 37, Henry Garrido is in an enviable position. The leader of New York City’s largest public sector union enjoys a strong relationship with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani: DC 37 was one of the few unions to endorse Mamdani – albeit ranked No. 2 – in the Democratic primary, and Garrido was the only labor leader listed on a New York Times rundown of Mamdani’s inner circle last year. Garrido backs the mayor’s push for tax hikes on the wealthy and for a $30 minimum wage, and this year he secured an extension of a hybrid work pilot program for more than 20,000 city workers. Garrido, who served on Mamdani’s Commission on Government Efficiency, has also been quietly steering the influential Municipal Labor Committee.
2. Rich Maroko
Rick Maroko had better aim than some players at the FIFA World Cup this year. The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council chief scored an eight-year agreement with the Hotel Association of New York City earlier this year, with record wage increases for thousands of hotel workers and funds for childcare and housing, averting a strike ahead of World Cup matches in nearby New Jersey. The HTC leader quickly pivoted from the 2025 primary election to embrace Zohran Mamdani’s general election campaign, helped elevate New York Council Speaker Julie Menin and sent state Senate Labor Committee Chair Jessica Ramos, a prominent casino foe, packing. Meanwhile, the three new downstate casinos selected last year will be a boon for the growing workforce that Maroko represents.
3. Manny Pastreich
Manny Pastreich of 32BJ SEIU made headlines this spring by reaching a deal for 34,000 workers that provides wage and pension hikes and protected health insurance – and defused a potential strike that threatened to paralyze residential real estate. On the legislative front, Pastreich championed the New York City Council’s Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, which bolsters training and benefits for private security officers. The bill is named after the security officer killed in a Manhattan office building shooting last year. Outside of New York, Pastreich helped organize Uber and Lyft drivers in Massachusetts. Pastreich, who represents more than 185,000 members, rallied around Zohran Mamdani after last year’s New York City mayoral primary.
4. Gary LaBarbera
Gary LaBarbera is one of New York’s longest-serving and most influential labor leaders. LaBarbera, who represents 100,000 workers at 15 affiliates under the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, recently launched the Building Trades Peer Support Network to destigmatize mental health and reduce suicides within New York City’s construction industry. He has negotiated several major project labor agreements recently, including for the $1.7 billion Battery Park City Resiliency Project and the redevelopment of the old Flushing Airport into housing. LaBarbera also leads the 200,000-member New York State Building and Construction Trades Council.
5. Melinda Person
Melinda Person could teach a class on how to achieve big wins in Albany. Person, who leads the 700,000-member New York State United Teachers, was one of the key players behind the Tier 6 pension reforms included in this year’s state budget. In addition, she saw state lawmakers boost spending for the state’s Foundation Aid formula, for higher education and also expand universal pre-K statewide. Person did oppose the state opting into a Trump administration school voucher program, arguing that the money belongs in public schools. Person also blasted the Salamanca City Central School District’s plan, since paused, to introduce a teacher robot in classrooms.
6. Michael Mulgrew
Michael Mulgrew has a message for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani: Fulfill your campaign promise to award one-time $10,000 bonuses to school paraprofessionals, or it’s war. City Council Speaker Julie Menin has stayed on the United Federation of Teachers’ good side by backing the bill, which passed unanimously in July – but the Mamdani administration is now taking it to court, arguing that such matters must be addressed through collective bargaining, not legislation. The leader of the nearly 200,000-member UFT has also spearheaded campaigns for smaller class sizes and pension reforms in recent years.
7. Yvonne Armstrong
Well into her second year at the helm of 1199SEIU, Yvonne Armstrong has delivered for her members. In June, Armstrong reached a groundbreaking, three-year contract with the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York on behalf of 86,000 of her downstate union members. The deal guarantees health insurance with no premiums, deductibles and co-pays, and maintains a defined-benefit pension plan and pay hikes. Armstrong was elected to lead the nearly 450,000-member union last year, defeating longtime President George Gresham. This summer, the union unsurprisingly endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul for reelection, crediting her for opposing federal healthcare cuts.
8. Mario Cilento
Mario Cilento was a big winner during this year’s state legislative session. The leader of the 3,000-union New York State AFL-CIO achieved his goal of adjusting Tier 6 pensions for public employees in “a clear victory for public service employees.” He has spoken out on artificial intelligence issues, helping to pass key measures in both houses, including a bill to make companies with 50 or more employees disclose the impact of AI on operations as well as the New York FAIR News Act, which would require news organizations to disclose articles generated by AI. Cilento has been touting an increase to 22.5% union representation among all workers statewide last year.
9. Nancy Hagans & Patricia Kane
Nancy Hagans and Patricia Kane orchestrated the largest nurses strike in New York City’s history, with 4,200 of its members on the picket line for 41 days before reaching a deal with NewYork-Presbyterian in February. The deal, which included wage increases and new workplace and artificial intelligence protections, was just the latest victory for NYSNA, which reached agreements with other major hospital systems to avoid strikes earlier in the year while enjoying support from New York City politicians including Mayor Zohran Mamdani. In Albany, NYSNA applauded the passage of Tier 6 pension reforms and additional hospital funding this year, and it helped block a proposal to allow acute care patients to be monitored virtually in their homes. Hagans served on Mamdani’s transition team and is a vice president of both the New York City Central Labor Council and the New York State AFL-CIO. She is also co-president of the more than 225,000-member National Nurses United. Kane, a NYSNA veteran, has run the union since 2019.
10. John Samuelsen
John Samuelsen is waging an all-out war against powerful foes. The feisty labor leader has pledged an “ugly” Metropolitan Transportation Authority contract fight with Gov. Kathy Hochul after Hochul vetoed a bill that would’ve required two-person subway crews, attacking her record across a number of issues and urging other unions not to endorse her. Samuelsen is also taking on New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin over her support for banning Central Park horse carriages. During his tenure, TWU has added about 30,000 new members to bring its total membership up to 165,000, most recently organizing 65 New York City Ferry workers.
11. Dennis Trainor
Dennis Trainor’s Communications Workers of America District 1 endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul for reelection this summer, citing her investments in broadband infrastructure, new Tier 6 pensions reforms and elimination of fees for SUNY graduate workers. In December, the governor also signed a bill, sponsored by former CWA leader and state Sen. Chris Ryan, that bolstered safety protections for unionized telecommunications workers. This year, Trainor negotiated what he called a “very, very strong” contract with Verizon. On the other side of the Hudson River, Trainor led his union in backing New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s winning campaign.
12. Stuart Appelbaum
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union leader Stuart Appelbaum is winning in Albany and at the bargaining table. In March, a Patagonia store in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood joined RWDSU, the first Patagonia in the eastern United States to unionize. Appelbaum followed this by successfully advocating for the passage of legislation to prohibit surveillance pricing in the state. He continues to monitor the implementation of retail worker safety legislation and has advocated for better treatment of holiday retail workers. As the Democratic National Committee’s Labor Council chair, he serves on panels to pick the 2028 convention location and to set the presidential primary schedule.
13. Mary E. Sullivan
In August, Mary E. Sullivan finalized five-year contracts covering 55,000 workers covered by the Civil Service Employees Association. The agreements include pay raises, paid prenatal leave, an increase in location pay for members and reductions in out-of-pocket health costs for workers, along with a reduction on a reliance on out-of-network healthcare providers. With other labor leaders in the state government sector, Sullivan delivered reforms to Tier 6 state pensions, a top priority for her 250,000-member union. CSEA endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul for reelection earlier this year.
14. Wayne Spence
New York State Public Employees Federation members this summer ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement, with annual raises, improved dental and vision benefits and other perks. On the legislative front, PEF’s Wayne Spence touted pension equity for Tier 6 state employees as a major victory. Spence, who represents 55,000 state employees with a wide range of titles, also praised Gov. Kathy Hochul’s affordability agenda this year, stating that her stewardship of the state’s finances has positioned New York to weather cuts from the Trump administration.
15. Brendan Griffith & Janella T. Hinds
Brendan Griffith has been settling in his role leading the New York City Central Labor Council, and it’s no easy task given that his citywide umbrella labor organization advocates for 300 local unions representing more than a million workers, from teachers, train operators and firefighters to nurses, janitors and construction workers. Griffith, a member of Ironworkers Local 40 and the United University Professions, was elected president of NYCCLC in the summer of 2025. This year, he has pushed for city legislation that would rein in Amazon’s delivery business, called for project labor agreements to improve construction safety and secured city funds for heat pump installations.
As the No. 2 official at the Central Labor Council, Janella T. Hinds is focused on lifting up women within organized labor. Hinds, who’s also vice president for academic high schools with the United Federation of Teachers, recently organized a CLC women’s leadership circle, supporting mentorship and networking. Hinds chairs the New York Union Child Care Coalition as well.
16. Brandon Mancilla
Brandon Mancilla’s United Auto Workers Region 9A was an early and enthusiastic backer of Zohran Mamdani. After the election, Mancilla served on Mamdani’s transition team and was appointed to the New York City Rent Guidelines Board, where he helped deliver the mayor’s signature rent freeze. Mancilla then supported two Mamdani allies and UAW members, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who won contested Democratic congressional primaries this year. Mancilla, who represents 20,000 members in New York City, the Hudson Valley and the Capital Region as well as six northeastern states and Puerto Rico, recently won union representation for Metropolitan Museum of Art employees.
17. Bhairavi Desai
Bhairavi Desai believes New York City’s mayor will stand up for taxi drivers. Desai served on the worker justice committee of the transition team of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a staunch ally dating back to his time in the Assembly. She also applauded Mamdani’s appointment of Midori Valdivia as chair of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. Desai cheered Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to pull back on expanding a robotaxi pilot program after arguing that the program would harm taxi drivers.
18. Patrick Hendry
Patrick Hendry has won more generous pension benefits, including last year’s measure adjusting the retirement benefit eligibility for Tier 3 to 20 years, down from 22, and this year’s Didarul Islam Police Recruitment Act, which counts pension credits for prior city service. This summer, the state Public Employment Relations Board agreed that the Police Benevolent Association is at an impasse with New York City over a new contract and appointed two mediators. Hendry has been at odds with Mayor Zohran Mamdani on other fronts, taking him to task for encouraging protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
19. Andrew Ansbro
Andrew Ansbro is a fighter for New York City firefighters. Ansbro took on the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency cuts to the World Trade Center Health Care Program and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s staffing cuts. Ansbro has also pushed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Mayor Eric Adams to release all of the city’s documents about 9/11 air quality and health concerns. He has successfully obtained full funding for the healthcare program and saw the governor restore the 20-year pension for Tier 3 members recently.
20. Randi Weingarten
Randi Weingarten has repeatedly clashed with President Donald Trump, most recently attacking his proposal to shift scientific research money toward artificial intelligence and away from higher education. The leader of the 1.875 million-member American Federation of Teachers has won key court victories in recent years on issues ranging from civil rights and academic freedom to defending the U.S. Department of Education. She also launched a National Academy for AI Instruction and unveiled a 10-point plan to address artificial intelligence and education.
21. Donato Bianco Jr.
Donato Bianco Jr. came up through the union ranks in Providence, Rhode Island, but he has spent decades working across New England and in New York with the Laborers’ International Union of North America. Bianco, who has served as the construction union’s New England regional manager since 2023, helped pass legislation this year expanding a New York work zone speed camera program and speeding up solar energy installation. He is now pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Construction Reporting Pay Act, which would alter call-in pay rules to benefit workers.
22. Mike Hellstrom
Mike Hellstrom moved up within the Laborers’ International Union of North America in 2022 to manage the construction union’s Eastern region, covering 45,000 workers in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, Delaware and Puerto Rico. Lately, he has been focused on keeping the Hudson River rail tunnel project on track. LIUNA endorsed New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill in last year’s election, in part due to her support for the train tunnel megaproject. Hellstrom served on a Sherrill transition team committee focused on energy affordability and reliability.
23. John Costa
John Costa has led the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents 200,000 workers across the United States and Canada, since 2019. Costa, a Newark, New Jersey, native who started out at New Jersey Transit, is a frequent presence on the picket line and a dogged negotiator at the bargaining table. He has sought to pass state and federal measures to combat violence against transit workers, launched over 150 workforce development programs and increased ATU membership by 9,300. ATU recently endorsed Democrat Rebecca Bennett over Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey.
24. Marianne Pizzitola
Marianne Pizzitola was a formidable foe of the Adams administration, suing New York City over a cost-saving move to shift a quarter million city retirees to Medicare Advantage and then getting the mayor to drop it even after a court ruled it could advance. Pizzitola, whose NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees was formed in 2021, supports legislation introduced by New York City Council Member Christopher Marte that would prevent retirees from being shifted to a plan that diminishes their access to healthcare. She is now bracing for a possible battle with the Mamdani administration.
25. Rebecca Damon
What demonstrates political power more than Gov. Kathy Hochul coming to your office to sign the legislation you advocated for? Rebecca Damon looked on late last year as Hochul signed bills to protect performers from digital use of their likeness or voice after death and to require disclosure of performers created by artificial intelligence. Damon has continued to focus on artificial intelligence protections, advocating successfully for this year’s New York FAIR News Act, which requires disclosure of news articles created by AI. She also serves on the New York State AFL-CIO’s Executive Council.
26. Frederick Kowal
Frederick Kowal recently negotiated a new five-year contract for SUNY employees. The deal includes annual raises, retention awards and expanded due process rights while eliminating health insurance co-pays. Kowal endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s car insurance reform package, saying UUP members largely drive to work and need more affordability. His 42,000-member union has also been one of the top spenders on lobbying in New York in recent years. Kowal is supporting a fellow United University Professions member from Syracuse who was detained by federal immigration officials and faces deportation.
27. James Davis
James Davis’ Professional Staff Congress endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor before the June 2025 primary, and that decision is paying off. As mayor, Mamdani vetoed a controversial education buffer zone bill opposed by PSC and other unions, forcing the New York City Council to rework it to remove higher education institutions from the legislation. This year, the union defended Mamdani’s rent freeze pledge. Davis, an English professor at Brooklyn College, has also led the 30,000-member union in supporting undocumented immigrants, backing adjunct faculty fired in free speech cases and defending federal funding for research.
28. John Durso
John Durso is not just leading Long Island’s labor movement, he is helping to lead Long Island forward. The president of the 250,000-member Long Island Federation of Labor is part of a group of local leaders who have been pressing for increased state assistance to the region. Durso’s energy agenda includes a push for an all-of-the-above energy strategy for the region and upgrading the island’s power grid. Durso endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s childcare and school breakfast initiatives this year, saying they help working families. Durso is also president of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW.
29. John Chiarello
John Chiarello is focused on making New York City’s buses safer. He has raised issues about falsified repair records and faulty radios that connect drivers with headquarters. He also blasted Gov. Kathy Hochul’s veto of legislation requiring two-person crews on the New York City subway and local efforts to ban Central Park horse carriages. The 44,000-member TWU Local 100 has also been on the offensive as it seeks a new contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, taking to the streets to rally for a fair contract alongside other transit unions.
30. Thomas Gesualdi
Thomas Gesualdi wants to revamp Amazon’s last-mile delivery operations to protect New Yorkers. He is a proponent of a New York City Council bill to ban the tech company’s Delivery Service Partner program, which outsources delivery to third-party contractors. The legislation, which garnered support from a supermajority of the council, would require Amazon to directly employ delivery workers – and make it easier for workers to organize. In June, Gesualdi was elected as an international vice president at-large for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Last fall, the union endorsed Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral bid.
31. Henry Rubio
Henry Rubio has enjoyed a period of success for the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, securing contracts for New York City Department of Education members, including a 2023 agreement authorizing a hybrid work pilot program for nonschool employees. Rubio’s 18,000-member union also brought early childhood education members at community-based organizations in closer pay parity with city employees. Rubio is also president of the New York State Federation of School Administrators and a general vice president of the American Federation of School Administrators.
32. Benny Boscio Jr.
It’s been a big year for Benny Boscio Jr. The Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association chief led successful efforts to restore a 20-year retirement benefit for his members, which passed in the state budget following a home rule message from the New York City Council and support from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Boscio, who represents 15,000 active and retired correctional officers, says the change will help with the recruitment and retention of correction officers. He is the newly elected uniformed union representative on the executive board of the influential Municipal Labor Committee’s executive board.
33. Paul Capurso
Paul Capurso and the New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters have notched some political victories this year. The union’s political arm ran a six-figure campaign to boost Carl Wilson in his special election victory for a New York City Council seat this spring. The union also endorsed Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas in her successful bid to unseat state Senate Labor Committee Chair Jessica Ramos. The union rallied against the construction of a new Vanderbilt University campus in Manhattan, saying the project’s general contractor offers substandard pay.
34. Kevin Sexton
Some said it couldn’t be done, but Kevin Sexton was part of the team that launched the first Long Island Rail Road strike in 32 years – and achieved a landmark new contract with wage increases for 3,500 LIRR workers. Sexton, a key official with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, was a spokesperson for the Long Island Rail Road Bargaining Coalition, a group of five smaller LIRR unions that went on strike for three days. Sexton previously served as general chair of BLET’s Long Island General Committee of Adjustment.
35. Christopher Erikson Jr.
When Christopher Erikson Sr. retired as business manager of IBEW Local 3 at the end of 2025, he handed the reins to his son, Christopher Erikson Jr. The younger Erikson, previously Local 3’s senior assistant business manager, continues the family legacy, as he’s a great-grandson of Harry Van Arsdale Jr., who ran Local 3 and also the New York City Central Labor Council. Erikson Jr. has touted the union’s work installing solar panels atop 130 New York City schools. The union endorsed Andrew Cuomo for New York City mayor in the 2025 general election.
36. Shaun Francois I
Shaun Francois I runs District Council 37’s largest member union, Local 372, while also serving as president of DC 37, the largest municipal union in New York City, under Henry Garrido. Francois is among those overseeing the implementation of DC 37's new Child Care Trust Fund, which awards grants to eligible members to offset child care costs. At Local 372, Francois has focused on restoring member benefits, a new school crossing guard career path, automatic pension enrollment and an increase in uniform allowances for school food workers.
37. Gregory Floyd
Gregory Floyd presides over the largest Teamsters local in the country, representing nearly 24,000 members, including school safety officers and workers in New York City’s public housing, public hospitals and law enforcement. Floyd is one of the longest-tenured labor leaders in New York, having served as Local 237’s president since 2007. Floyd, who was once the youngest hospital police captain in the city, was recently reelected to a third term as a vice president-at-large of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The union stood by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race last fall.
38. Jim Brosi
For Jim Brosi, the 9/11 terrorist attacks remain a daily battle. Brosi, who is vice chair of the state’s September 11th Worker Protection Task Force, is focused on obtaining funding and protections for firefighters who suffered illnesses linked to the attacks, such as the new $2 million state grant to fund research into 9/11-related health issues. Brosi also worked with state lawmakers this year to improve Tier 2 and 3 pension benefits and was recently reelected to a third term leading the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, which has more than 2,000 active members.
39. Dennis Schock
Dennis Schock got what he wanted in Albany this year: a 20-year retirement benefit for New York City sanitation workers in the Tier 3 pension plan. The benefit, also extended to correction officers, will allow those in the pension tier and hired after 2013 to retire after 20 years of work with the city. Yet Schock was shocked to find out that the dormant September 11th Worker Protection Task Force had been revived this year without any representation from his union. Schock’s predecessor, Harry Nespoli, also led the influential Municipal Labor Committee.
40. Gloria Middleton
Gloria Middleton is a trailblazing advocate for equal pay. The CWA Local 1180 chief is a champion of legislation in New York City and in Albany that would strengthen New York City’s equal pay laws. Middleton, who represents more than 9,000 active members, has also called attention to Trump administration policies that she says could reverse progress on equal pay in New York. As a member of the Municipal Labor Committee’s executive board, she was involved in reaching a new healthcare agreement with the Adams administration last year.
41. David Bolger, Pawel Gruchacz & Anthony Vita
David Bolger, Anthony Vita and Pawel Gruchacz are key labor leaders within the New York State Laborers’ Union, which represents some 40,000 construction workers across 24 local unions and five district councils. Among other responsibilities, Bolger is the business manager of the Mason Tenders’ District Council, which covers 17,000 construction workers, waste and hazardous materials handlers, Catholic high school teachers and recycling and waste handlers. The lifelong union man was proud of helping to pass the Construction Justice Act, which establishes a $40 an hour minimum wage for construction workers on affordable housing projects in New York City. Bolger is now working with the New York City Council on legislation to protect construction workers from extreme heat.
Vita represents 10,000 unionized workers as the head of the Construction and General Building Laborers’ Local 79. A veteran laborer himself, Vita has expanded the grievance department at Local 79 from a one-man show to a division that has collected over $30 million on behalf of the membership.
Gruchacz, who started out as an asbestos handler, now is at the helm of LIUNA Local 78. Within the 3,000-member union, he created a new legal department and reformed the pension fund, which resulted in pension increases for members.
42. Gary Bonadonna Jr.
Gary Bonadonna Jr.’s superpower is having no fear in taking on the powerful. Bonadonna is leading a boycott of the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Buffalo, asserting that Douglas Jemal, the powerful developer who owns the convention center-adjacent hotel, is engaging in union busting. Bonadonna recently notched organizing victories at Healthy Living Market stores in New York and Vermont, and previously helped make a Buffalo Starbucks the first to join a union. Bonadonna is president of the Sidney Hillman Health Center, which offers supplemental health benefits to unionized workers and retirees.
43. Susan DeCarava
Susan DeCarava is making sure New York’s journalists are protected from the threat of artificial intelligence. DeCarava helped to pass the New York FAIR Act, which will require AI-generated news content to be labeled as such. She has also secured contractual provisions to shield journalists from AI-related layoffs and to help shape newsroom AI policies. She won a financial settlement and reinstatement for fired Condé Nast workers and helped the three-year-old ProPublica union get its first contract. The NewsGuild has taken legal action against Reuters, alleging unfair labor practices.
44. Andrea Gordillo
Andrea Gordillo took the reins of the Freelancers Union in June, succeeding Rafael Espinal, who departed to join the Mamdani administration. Gordillo, who was previously the organization’s chief of staff, supports a range of freelance workers, including over 600 photojournalists seeking stronger copyright protections from The Wall Street Journal. Gordillo, who also has launched a portable benefits initiative, criticized New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill for finalizing a state regulation that Gordillo says will make freelancing harder. Gordillo is the former chair of Manhattan Community Board 3.
45. Sam Fresina
Sam Fresina is making sure that local firefighters across New York are treated well. His 18,000-member New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association was part of a labor coalition that secured changes to Tier 6 pensions in Albany this year. He also backed a measure providing property tax exemptions for widows of professional firefighters killed in the line of duty, which passed both houses of the state Legislature this year. Fresina is now tackling the state’s volunteer firefighter crisis and proposing ways to recruit new volunteers. He chairs the Albany County Airport Authority board.
46. Vincent Vallelong
This summer, Vincent Vallelong was reelected as president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, the 13,000-member union representing sergeants in the New York City Police Department. Vallelong teamed up with other law enforcement unions to push for state legislation extending the 25-year eligibility period for retirement benefits for injuries or illnesses tied to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which awaits the governor’s signature. He has been a sharp critic of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, arguing that the mayor has failed to stand up for members of the NYPD.
47. Peter Meringolo
Pension reform has dominated Peter Meringolo’s year, with Tier 6 and Tier 3 reforms on the plate of every public sector labor leader in New York. Meringolo saw state lawmakers negotiate changes to both tiers, including Tier 3 reform extending 20-year retirement to correction and sanitation workers. Meringolo said the pension reforms are needed to increase the recruitment and retention of the public sector workers. NYSPEC, which was formed in 1977, is made up of 90 labor unions and umbrella organizations.
48. Alvin Vincent Jr.
Alvin Vincent Jr. is keeping the lights glowing bright on Broadway. Last fall, Vincent used a strike threat to successfully negotiate a three-year agreement with The Broadway League, securing a minimum pay raise for Broadway performers and increased healthcare contributions from The Broadway League. Earlier in 2025, the 51,000-member Actors’ Equity Association ended a monthslong strike on developmental workshops of new plays and musicals after securing a new multiyear agreement with The Broadway League. Vincent, who has been executive director since 2022, is now leading negotiations on a new national touring agreement.
49. Dan Point
When Dan Point became American Federation of Musicians Local 802’s leader in January, he didn’t have much catching up to do, having been the New York City professional musician union’s chief of staff and recording vice president – and having played a part in securing a three-year contract for Broadway musicians last year. Point recently secured a new contract for associate musicians at the Metropolitan Opera, with pay increases and a path toward parity with other operas. He previously delivered wage increases for New York Philharmonic musicians and is now seeking artificial intelligence protections for musicians.
50. Jose Maldonado
Jose Maldonado is taking on some of the biggest names in New York. UNITE HERE Local 100 members at UBS Arena on Long Island have been seeking a contract with Delaware North, the hospitality giant. Maldonado also bulked up his political team by hiring Dante de Blasio, the son of the former New York City mayor, as the union’s political director. Maldonado, who was elected president in 2021, was previously secretary-treasurer of the union, helping it grow to represent more than 18,000 food service and concessions workers in New York and New Jersey. The union ranked Zohran Mamdani No. 2 in its New York City Democratic mayoral primary slate last year.
51. Ligia Guallpa & Gustavo Ajche
Ligia Guallpa has been a staunch defender of New York City legislation that facilitates tips for delivery workers and thus boosts worker pay, which survived a legal challenge from Uber and DoorDash earlier this year. Guallpa, who has led the Workers Justice Project since 2010, also pushed for a new city law preventing delivery workers from being deactivated from apps without just cause, in particular for food arriving late. Gustavo Ajche, a leader of the WJP’s Los Deliveristas Unidos collective, welcomed New York City’s first respite hub for the bicycle-based delivery professionals earlier this year.
52. Charles Murphy
Charles Murphy scored a victory when a critical incident leave policy for state troopers was passed in the state budget this year. The new policy grants up to 20 days of leave for any state trooper whose actions directly led to the death of a person and 10 days of leave for indirect actions leading to a death. Murphy’s New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association says the plan will give its members time to recover from traumatic events. Passage of the plan came months after Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed an earlier version of the legislation.
53. Jonathan Smith & Joseph Martir
Jonathan Smith went from representing a few thousand postal workers in and around New York City to representing a national workforce of 200,000 in November, and his top priority is fighting any proposal to privatize the U.S. Postal Service. Smith has sought to increase services at local post offices, including potentially adding charging stations and processing fishing licenses, while committing to protect voting by mail. Smith is cautious about Postmaster General David Steiner, noting that Steiner reduced the union workforce at Waste Management.
Joseph Martir succeeded Smith as the president of the 4,000-member New York Metro Area Postal Union. Martir, who represents clerks, drivers and maintenance workers in the Bronx, Manhattan and parts of New Jersey, is fighting the Postal Service’s proposals to cut jobs. He also opposed the closure of the Bryant Park post office and wants increased transparency of postal operations and public engagement before a location closes.
54. Frank Morales
Frank Morales acts quickly. Within hours of being elected as president of the 8,000-member Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2, Morales sued Con Edison to recover wages allegedly owed to union workers. He is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation to prevent Con Ed or other utilities from recouping labor-related litigation costs through rate hikes. Morales also supports reopening the Indian Point nuclear power plant. He was elevated to the presidency following the retirement of longtime Local 1-2 leader James Shillitto last year.
55. Edwin Christian
Edwin Christian has been advocating for New York’s operating engineers for decades. Christian, who has run the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 14-14B since 2004, took his leadership to a higher level this year with his election in January as international chair of the board of IUOE, which has more than 400,000 members. Christian has served on a number of boards that are critical to New York’s labor movement and workforce development ecosystem, including the New York City Central Labor Council and the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.
56. Tom Callahan
Tom Callahan has led the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 15 for over a decade, representing 5,000 engineers in the construction industry in both the public and private sectors. Callahan has joined other labor leaders calling for Williams’ proposed Constitution Pipeline to be approved to address energy affordability issues and create union jobs. Callahan has also been vice president of IUOE’s general executive board since 2021 and serves as secretary treasurer for the New York State Conference of IUOE and secretary for the New York City Coalition of IUOE.
57. William Lynn
William Lynn has been expanding the jurisdiction of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30. The local, based in Whitestone, Queens, covers members in New York as well as Connecticut, Florida and Puerto Rico. Lynn recently obtained a building in Connecticut for the union to open a state-accredited apprenticeship program, building on its work in advocating for apprenticeship programs in the state. Lynn, who has led IUOE Local 30 since 2014, is also a vice president of IUOE’s general executive board and was recently elected a vice president of the New York State AFL-CIO.
58. Ray Macco
Ray Macco, who recently moved up to succeed Kuba Brown at the helm of the IUOE Local 94, is positioning his 6,500 members to handle any kind of threat while managing cutting-edge commercial buildings. Macco is requiring new union candidates to obtain a certificate of fitness from the New York City Fire Department, which allows them to handle dangerous chemicals, and the union is providing training in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence relating to HVAC systems. This year, Macco was appointed secretary-treasurer of the influential Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.
59. Louis Civello
Louis Civello successfully negotiated a new contract for 1,700 Suffolk County police officers in March 2025 The five-year deal includes an 18% raise spread out over the life of the contract, a faster progression to top pay and enhanced benefits for officers. In May of this year, he was named president of the United Coalition of Public Safety, a national police union advocacy coalition. UCOPS is advocating for the HALO Act, which would create buffer zones around law enforcement activities.
60. Lisa Ohta
Who defends the public defenders? Lisa Ohta and the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys, that’s who. The union has orchestrated several strikes this summer, putting pressure on employers to make concessions. After a five-day strike in July, the union won a new contract for workers at Brooklyn Defender Services. In August, Bronx Defenders and Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem workers represented by Ohta’s union also reached separate deals to end their strikes. Ohta served on the criminal legal system committee for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transition.
61. Matthew Loeb
Matthew Loeb testified before Congress this year about the need for a federal film and television incentive program to protect the creative industries. He also raised concerns about the proposed merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery – and he had actor Noah Wyle of “The Pitt” fame at his side to bolster the case. Loeb leads the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which has 168,000 members across the U.S. and Canada. He’s also a long-standing member of IATSE Local 52 in Queens, where he also serves on the board of the Museum of the Moving Image.
62. Tom Fontana & Sam Wheeler
In recent years, the Writers Guild of America East has negotiated new contracts at Vox, Hearst Magazines and CBS News 24/7 and organized writers at the iHeart Podcast Network, PBS and even “Sesame Street.” Tom Fontana, an award-winning television creator and writer, became president of the union last fall, joining Sam Wheeler, a labor lawyer who came on as WGAE’s executive director in 2024 after holding the same position with the American Guild of Musical Artists. The union hasn’t shied away from fights, pressuring ABC to drop its suspension of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, criticizing CBS News’ firing of “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley and opposing the proposed merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. The WGAE also teamed up with the Writers Guild of America West to finalize a 2026 minimum basic agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers this year.
63. Rich Nigro
With the Buffalo public school system navigating a string of crises, Rich Nigro says teachers are losing trust and it may be time for the state to step in. The Buffalo Teachers Federation leader raised concerns after the schools superintendent resigned abruptly and was accused of sexual harassment, although the legal case has not played out. Nigro has questioned other management issues in the system and says state intervention may be needed. Nigro has worked with management to reduce a backlog of teacher grievances and spearheaded improved services for autistic students.
64. Nick Galipeau & Jessica Timo
OPEIU Local 153 has stepped up its political activity under the leadership of Nick Galipeau and Jessica Timo, endorsing the winning campaigns of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, congressional candidate Claire Valdez and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal over the past year – although its state legislative endorsements had more mixed results. This year, the union successfully organized employees at The Fortune Society, the New York Immigration Coalition and Highmark. The union represents workers in a range of professions across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
65. Scott Munro
Detectives’ Endowment Association President Scott Munro has been at odds with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Munro says the mayor’s rhetoric encouraging protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the United Nations General Assembly in September is “reckless” and will put New York City officers at risk. He believes that Mamdani should be standing with the police and not with the “radical protest line.” Munro has also argued that a proposed federal measure that would create a buffer between the public and federal immigration officers should apply to New York City police officers.
66. Ned Hanlon
Not every labor leader can say they’ve performed over 1,600 times with the Metropolitan Opera, but Ned Hanlon has done that and more. Hanlon fights for the rights of musical artists, achieving first contracts for artists at the School of American Ballet, Perelman Performing Arts Center and other New York-based groups. He spoke at the 2026 AFL-CIO Convention about the importance of the arts and regularly advocates in Albany for state arts funding. Hanlon has led AGMA since 2023, representing its more than 6,500 members in collective bargaining.
67. Jim Mason & Anthony Villa
When Bill Banfield retired after a long career with the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, the union divided up his responsibilities geographically and elevated Anthony Villa and Jim Mason to succeed him last October. The duo oversees 10,000 members across five locals, with Mason assigned to Western and Central New York and Villa covering the eastern part of the state, including the Albany area, the Hudson Valley and Long Island. Mason came up through Local 277 and had focused on making sure that union construction workers were getting work tied to the new Micron plant underway outside of Syracuse. He was recently named interim executive director of NASRCC’s Labor and Management Program. Villa, who was president of Local 290 on Long Island before becoming regional manager, applauded Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly last fall for combating wage theft in the construction industry. Villa also serves on the executive boards of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties and the Long Island Federation of Labor.
68. Chris Summers
Chris Summers delivered a blunt message to Gov. Kathy Hochul this spring: The state’s prison system is in a “full-scale systemic emergency.” The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association chief cited violent attacks on corrections officers. Summers has condemned last year’s wildcat correction officers’ strike that lasted 22 days and resulted in the firing of several thousand personnel, but an investigation is underway into whether the illegal action was backed by union leaders. Summers says the strike didn’t spur needed reforms and he has continued to call for changes to the HALT Act, which limits solitary confinement.
69. Maf Misbah Uddin
Maf Misbah Uddin is a trailblazer in the labor movement and in New York’s South Asian community. He is the first Bangladeshi elected president of Local 1407 and is treasurer of its parent union, District Council 37. In 2022, he was appointed to New York City’s redistricting commission, where he helped create the first Asian-majority district in Brooklyn. In 2024, he was appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to the state’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission. He’s also the founder and national president of the Alliance of South Asian American Labor.
70. Michael Carrube
Michael Carrube brings years of experience as a subway worker and a labor leader to his post running the Subway-Surface Supervisors Association. Carrube was one of the first labor leaders to come out against a planned switch for New York City retirees to Medicare Advantage, which was held up in court and ultimately scrapped by the Adams administration. Carrube has prioritized the safety of his members by successfully advocating to make transit employee assault a felony. He is also the founder and president of the National Association of Transportation Supervisors.
71. Michael Greco
Michael Greco took over the Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors FDNY Local 2507 this spring, and he’s tackling the No. 1 issue facing New York City’s emergency medical technicians, paramedics and fire inspectors: pay parity with other first responders. Greco argues that pay disparities undermine recruitment and retention, and he wants the issue to be addressed in a new contract for his 4,000 members. Greco, a paramedic since 2011, said the $10 million allocated for a new trauma center in Far Rockaway, Queens, is far short of what’s needed.
72. Vincent Variale
Vincent Variale has been assailing the lack of pay parity for New York City’s emergency medical workers. The labor leader says he’s losing 10-15 workers each week, while some EMS responders live outside the city or even in homeless shelters or their cars, and that EMS response times are worsening as a result. Variale’s union represents over 600 EMS sergeants, lieutenants and captains in the New York City Fire Department. The union welcomed the appointment of Lillian Bonsignore as FDNY commissioner, in part because she’s the first EMS first responder in the post.
73. Rich Canazzi
Rich Canazzi is fighting for local government employees in upstate New York. Council 66 has been pushing the Rochester suburb of Pittsford for wage increases for Department of Public Works employees. The union is demanding an investigation into a fuel pump explosion that seriously injured two Albany Department of General Services workers. Canazzi has led District Council 66 since 2024 and is also president of AFSCME Local 1095 in Erie County. In April, Local 1095 reached an agreement on a five-year contract for Erie County employees, with annual pay raises.
74. Edward Nadeau
Edward Nadeau was elected president of the New York State Pipe Trades Association in February, filling a post that opened up when Greg Lancette moved up to a national leadership position. Nadeau’s ascension comes as the union continues its push to expand the state’s energy grid. Nadeau previously was business manager of United Association Local 7 upstate, where he oversaw workers on the Albany NanoTech Complex and the new Micron semiconductor project outside of Syracuse. Nadeau said he was concerned about Gov. Kathy Hochul’s data center moratorium because of the loss of construction jobs, since his members are trained to build data centers.
75. Robert Bartels Jr.
As the business manager of Steamfitters Local 638, Robert Bartels Jr. represents about 9,000 workers handling liquid, gas and steam piping systems on construction projects across New York City and Long Island. Bartels, who oversees organizing campaigns, manages spending and drives strategies for growth, has brought over 1,000 new members into the union in the past three years and has boosted work hours for construction and metal trades workers. The union endorsed President Donald Trump in 2024, and Bartels has been an outspoken critic of the Democratic Socialists of America.
76. Tom Tatun
Tom Tatun is making sure that New York’s retired public employees are not overlooked. The Retired Public Employees Association official has launched campaigns to advocate for full funding for Medicare reimbursements and ensure health benefits are fully funded. He has been quick to call out the state Public Service Commission for approving utility rate hikes while seeking to reduce rates or provide increased assistance to retirees to cover their energy costs. The RPEA advocates for nearly 500,000 public sector retirees and their families.
77. Tomas Fret
Tomas Fret was reelected president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181-1061 last summer and has continued to advocate on behalf of school bus drivers. The Bronx native has increased the union’s membership to 15,000 and ratified several contracts without any givebacks. He has also been running a successful organizing drive in New York City, New Jersey and Westchester County. Fret is part of the Executive Council of the state AFL-CIO as well.
78. Kurt Labuda
Kurt Labuda was elected as the top union official representing senior investigators and investigators in the New York State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation last year and has plunged into a number of issues. Like other public employee unions, the 1,200-member New York State Police Investigators Association was part of the successful push for Tier 6 pension reform in Albany. Labuda has also been focusing on recruitment, the mental and physical health of his membership and tax relief for widows of law enforcement officers.
79. Connor Spence
Since Connor Spence’s 2024 election to lead the Amazon Labor Union, he has had to pick up where his predecessor left off: getting Amazon to the bargaining table. Spence won a battle this spring when the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Amazon has to recognize and bargain with the union, but the standoff continues. The union, which made history in 2022 by voting to form the country’s first Amazon union, has been affiliated with the Teamsters since 2024. ALU represents workers at Amazon’s JFK8 facility on Staten Island.
80. Carl Mulert
Carl Mulert is a labor leader and a civil rights leader. He negotiated antidiscrimination language into United Scenic Artists Local 829’s contracts for the safety of protected classes. He also organized the first ever off-Broadway employer agreement covering designers and later expanded the pact to cover assistant designers. He is the first out queer person to serve as an international vice president of IATSE, Local 829’s parent union, and serves on a number of panels, including the Tony Awards Administration Committee. He serves on the New York State AFL-CIO’s executive council as well.
81. Micaela Suminski
It has been a busy year for Micaela Suminski and ACT-UAW Local 7902. The union, which is under the United Auto Workers, represents more than 10,000 workers in higher education at New York University and The New School. The union led nontenure track faculty members at NYU in a strike this spring. Suminski has also been focused on winning back pay for misclassified workers, getting workers reinstated and defending fired workers at The New School. Suminski pushed UAW to adopt a resolution on divesting from Israel bonds and strongly backed Claire Valdez’s congressional campaign.
82. Daniel Bustillo, Rossmery Dais & Donna Rey
At the $16.8 billion 1199SEIU Family of Funds, Daniel Bustillo, Rossmery Dais and Donna Rey are delivering benefits to 1199SEIU’s 450,000 members. Rey runs Benefits and Pension Funds and is CEO of the Family of Funds’ administrative operations. She launched a Healthy Living Initiative to help 1199SEIU members improve their health outcomes and oversees $2.8 billion in health benefits and $20.1 billion in pension assets. She serves on the board of Healthix. Dais oversees the Child Care Funds for the union, providing members and their families with access to childcare. She supports expanding childcare access and oversees programs that have reached over 460,000 children and families. She co-chairs an innovation subcommittee of U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s Child Care Working Group and has served on the New York City Council’s Marshall Plan for Moms Task Force. Bustillo, who was named executive director at the end of 2025, manages the Training and Employment Funds that support workforce development for over 20,000 healthcare workers annually. He has over 8,000 workers enrolled in Allied Health higher education programs. He serves on the New York City Workforce Development Board.
83. Heath Morris
When New York’s Taylor Law was passed in 1967, it excluded the public sector managers and specialists known as management/confidential employees from collective bargaining. That means the New York State Organization of Management/Confidential Employees isn’t technically a union, but it does advocate on behalf of these workers in Albany. Heath Morris drives OMCE’s strategy and legislative advocacy, and launched a social media campaign to boost visibility and outreach. The former educator and legislative staffer increased membership by 46% over three years while improving the organization’s finances and operations.
84. Constance Bradley
Constance Bradley is celebrating the state Public Service Commission’s decision last year to approve the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline. Bradley has argued that the energy infrastructure project will be a boon for unionized workers during the construction phase, creating over 3,000 direct union jobs and providing support for several thousand more across a number of industries, while addressing energy reliability in the long run. Bradley has spent nearly a decade at the helm of TWU Local 101, which represents some 1,500 National Grid employees in Brooklyn and Queens.
85. Brendan Sexton
Brendan Sexton is looking out for New York’s Uber and Lyft drivers. The Independent Drivers Guild president recently helped pump the brakes on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed expansion of robotaxi testing outside of New York City, in an effort to protect the jobs of over 200,000 ride-hailing drivers. Sexton has delivered on parking access so drivers can take meal and restroom breaks, legalized in-vehicle advertising in ride-hailing vehicles and secured healthcare and insurance victories. He has questioned the effectiveness of a new New York City law protecting ride-hailing drivers against deactivation.
86. James Conigliaro
James Conigliaro is focused on improving the lives of gig workers and nontraditional workers across New York through the Workers Benefit Fund. The WBF has built Drivers Benefits by The Black Car Fund, a New York health and wellness program that delivers a suite of benefits to app-based and black car drivers. Conigliaro, a labor lawyer and worker advocate, also launched the Worker Healthy Living Program, partnering with the Independent Drivers Guild and the healthcare technology company Akido to address the higher rates of chronic diseases for ride-hailing drivers.
87. Alan Klinger
Representing the Municipal Labor Committee, a coalition of New York City public sector unions, Alan Klinger negotiated a new healthcare agreement for city government workers and retirees. Klinger also successfully defended the agreement, which brought in EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare to replace Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Klinger, who heads the public sector labor practice at Steptoe, also helped the United Federation of Teachers win extra compensation for New York City school paraprofessionals, although those bonuses are now being challenged in court.
88. Robert Bishop
Pension reform, budget intricacies, procurement and labor negotiations have dominated Robert Bishop’s career. That deep experience helped Bishop and his team secure passage this year of a measure allowing members of New York City corrections and sanitation unions in Tier 3 to retire with full pension benefits after 20 years of service, aligning with police officers and firefighters. Bishop, who manages Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno’s Albany office, has long advised unions on contract talks. He’s also a partner at the affiliated Pitta LLP, a political and labor law firm.
89. Jason Ortiz
Before he launched Moonshot Strategies and quickly established it as a top-tier political consulting, government relations and communications firm, Jason Ortiz was a savvy labor operative with the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council. He continues to advise HTC as a consultant and also counts 32BJ SEIU as another key labor client. He also has worked with Genting and Bally’s, which both won downstate casino licenses last year, and real estate giants like Tishman Speyer and RXR. This year, he was part of the successful push for auto insurance reform, a priority for Uber, another Moonshot client.
90. Jack O’Donnell
Jack O’Donnell is a top lobbyist in New York, with a number of key clients in organized labor. O’Donnell recently helped obtain funding for workers’ compensation fraud investigations and prosecutions as part of his work with the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. With the International Union of Elevator Constructors, he champions worker and public safety, and he has worked with the United Food and Commercial Workers on protecting employees and consumers. O’Donnell has developed synergies between his firm’s labor and economic development practices.
Editor’s note: Jack O’Donnell is a member of City & State’s advisory board.
91. Theodore A. Moore
Theodore A. Moore’s legislative advocacy efforts are gaining momentum. The leader of the nonprofit coalition-building organization ALIGN helped pass the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, which establishes wage, benefit and paid time off standards for private security workers. He is now pushing legislation in the New York City Council to establish a $30 an hour minimum wage and is backing the proposed Delivery Protection Act, which targets Amazon’s outsourcing of last-mile delivery work. Moore also served on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s charter revision commission.
92. Karen Ignagni
Karen Ignagni last year transitioned from CEO of EmblemHealth to executive chair – and she remains a force in New York healthcare. Ignagni’s new role involves working with New York City and its unions, and she played a key part in negotiations over a new health plan for the city’s municipal workforce. The new health plan from EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare went into effect this year and is projected to save the city up to $1 billion. Ignagni has also sought to protect New York’s Essential Plan amid federal cuts.
93. Ed Draves
Veteran lobbyist and political operative Ed Draves is driving Shenker Russo & Clark’s top 25 government relations operation. Draves, who earlier in his career was an organizer with United Auto Workers and political and legislative director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, today represents clients including SEIU Local 200United and Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW. Draves also helped to legalize recreational marijuana sales in New York and has worked with the New York State Pipe Trades Association to secure state funding to support thermal energy networks statewide.
94. Matthew O’Connor
Matthew O’Connor brings deep legislative experience to his clients as they navigate the halls of Albany. He is also a former chair and president of State Law Resources, a network of law firms engaged in government relations. His clients include the United University Professions, the New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association, the New York State Police Investigators Association’s political arm, the Organization of New York State Management/Confidential Employees – an advocacy organization for public sector managerial employees barred from collective bargaining – and the American Safety Council.
95. Eglantina Haxhillari
Eglantina Haxhillari has achieved victories for hotel and casino workers as well as firefighters in recent years. On behalf of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, she supported efforts to eliminate the state’s unemployment insurance debt and to increase maximum weekly unemployment benefits. For the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, Haxhillari supported the passage of legislation that helps with recruitment and retention and to increase the presumptive eligibility period for first responders who participated in the rescue efforts at the World Trade Center after 9/11. She started her lobbying career with the Civil Service Employees Association.
96. Robert A. Ungar
Robert A. Ungar has made it his mission to advocate for labor unions, with a specialty of those representing law enforcement. He has helped pass legislation that addresses health and safety benefits for union members and their families by combating workplace violence and improving retirement and disability benefits as well as lifetime COBRA healthcare benefits. Recent clients include the New York City Deputy Sheriffs’ Benevolent Association, the Fire Marshal Benevolent Association of Nassau County, the Nassau County Police Medic Association and the New York State Nurses Association.
97. John Zaremba
John Zaremba is a founder and partner at Zaremba Brown, a construction accident law firm where he has secured multimillion-dollar settlements for unionized workers injured on the job. Zaremba, who also handles cases involving catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death litigation, counts a number of labor unions among his clients, including the New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters, Laborers’ Local 79 and Transport Workers Union Local 101. He has raised his profile as president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, an influential statewide association.
98. James O’Connor
James O’Connor is using his experience in labor and employment law to co-lead the newly launched Internal Investigations Practice Team at Phillips Lytle. This new team will focus on sensitive workplace investigations with clients across the state. Among the areas of focus are political corruption allegations, executive malfeasance, systematic harassment and retaliation, trade secret theft and rooting out fraud, waste and abuse. O’Connor has deep expertise in complex workplace issues, risk management and the ever-evolving requirements of employment law.
99. Michelle Zettergren
Michelle Zettergren uses her deep experience in the overlapping worlds of labor and healthcare to deliver solutions for union members. She has expanded MagnaCare from regional to national markets and put an emphasis on improved care management and service delivery. Zettergren has promoted the strength of labor unions, launching initiatives like LaborStrong. She is the first woman to serve as president of labor at MagnaCare, a third-party administrator that’s part of Brighton Health Plan Solutions.
100. Steven Kramer
Steven Kramer, a partner at the law firm Feldman, Kramer & Monaco that represents 290 labor unions, provides legal services such as estate planning to unionized workers and their families. Kramer has focused on offering legal services that union workers actually will take advantage of while providing them in a cost-effective way. Kramer is a frequent speaker to union and trade associations throughout the New York City metropolitan area, particularly on Long Island. He’s also an expert in elder law.
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