(WESTERN NEW YORK) – Buffalo-headquartered Carpenters Local 276 is collaborating with a number of community-based organizations across the Western New York Region and Rochester to provide career opportunities to those enrolled in Workforce Programs. Through these efforts, the Local 276 has trained and welcomed several new Members into the Local, who more»

Empire Report New York Editor’s Note: This Labor Perspective was authored by three New York State Labor Leaders: Joe Peluso, who serves as Vice President and Assistant Business Manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 97; Sam Capitano, who serves as Business Manager for the Upstate Laborers District Council; and Greg more»

United University Professions (UUP) President Fred Kowal has issued a statement after University at Buffalo (UB) Research Scientist Shovgi Huseynov was released from an ICE Detention Facility in Michigan: Huseynov, an Azerbaijani native who has a valid U.S. Work Authorization, was apprehended by ICE agents on January 7th after making a wrong turn onto the more»

(ROCHESTER, NEW YORK) – International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 86 Business Manager Ray Ryerse has been elected President of the Rochester Building & Construction Trades Council. The Rochester Trades Council represents 18 Affiliated Member Unions and a combined 10,000 Unionized Construction Workers who are highly skilled in a more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) is voicing concern over “essential Front-Line Caregivers who care for patients and keep the Hospital running” after Buffalo’s Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) announced a 3% workforce reduction that equates to 150 Employees. The layoffs/furloughs at ECMC are mostly more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - President Fred Kowal is strongly condemning ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for taking a University at Buffalo (UB) Researcher into custody after he made a wrong turn on the Peace Bridge between Buffalo and Canada. Shovgi Huseynov, a UB Medical Researcher and an Azerbaijan native, was detained by Border Patrol Agents on more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Jomo Akono’s story is truly amazing - and inspiring. This Radio Disc Jockey/Producer who has immersed himself in his African heritage and culture in so many ways in the Buffalo Community, started as an Apprentice Carpenter nearly 21 years ago - at the behest of his Father, who was also a Union Carpenter. more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – These Tin Knockers have heart. While you may not have noticed, the Membership and Retirees of SMART (the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers) Local 71 here in Buffalo are continuing to work to make the Buffalo Community a better place to live when it comes to donating their time and more»

We Could Be Heroes Just For One Day What’d You Say Lyrics from the Song, Heroes - by David Bowie (BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – When it comes to Heroes, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 3 isn’t short of them. Since 2018, 80 Members of this NALC Branch here in Western New York have been honored nationally by NALC as Heroes more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Members of the Faculty Federation of Erie Community College (FFECC) have ratified a new five-year contract with Erie Community College that marks a significant milestone for the institution, its Faculty and the broader College Community, Union Officials said. The agreement was ratified by FFECC Members by a 94% margin and more»

(NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK) – Through its continued generosity of helping the local community and those who live here, the Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Central Labor Council and its Affiliated Member Unions adopted a record 38 families for this Holiday Season - combining to donate $20,000 in clothing, toys and daily necessities. As the need for help has more»

CSEA Editor’s Note: Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Western Region 6 has been honored with CSEA’s Rising Tide Award, which is recognizing the CSEA Region for adding the most new Members. CSEA Western Region President Steve Healy, pictured on the left, accepts the award on behalf of the Region. CSEA President Mary Sullivan is on the more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: The Special Olympics’ 2025 Buffalo Polar Plunge registered an all-time best, raising more than $703,000 earlier this month to help a variety of Athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate and compete in a number of competitive sports. Included in that total was $21,500 raised by the Western New York more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 237 has made a $30,000 donation to the United Way of Greater Niagara’s (UWGN) for its 2025 fundraising drive. Pictured from left to right: Local 237 Business Manager John Scherrer; UWGN President Andrea Gray; and Local 237 President Tom Martin. The more»

Dr. Lawrence Wittner, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor of History Emeritus at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany and the Author of Confronting the Bomb (Stanford University Press). The following, in part, was published in the On-Line Publication, The Z Network: Although President Donald Trump has claimed that “every policy” more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – The Trump Administration’s assault on “life-and-death” programs like SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) spurred the New York State AFL-CIO to take action and institute an effort called Labor Feeds NY: A Week of Action Against Hunger. Between the rising costs of groceries and the disruption of more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Grace Bogdanove (pictured above, on the right) - 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East Vice President for WNY Nursing Homes, has been elected the new President of the Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, becoming only the second Woman to head the Buffalo Labor Council. Bogdanove more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1342 President Jeff Richardson has been recognized and honored by his Union for his hard work representing the Buffalo Local’s 1,700 Active and Retired Members by his election as Second Vice Chair of the New York State Conference Board and on the Executive Board of the Northeast more»

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—The National Lacrosse League Players’ Association (NLLPA) announced - which includes Players with the Champion Buffalo Bandits, it is formally affiliating with the National AFL-CIO, becoming the ninth Professional Sports Union in the AFL-CIO Sports Council. The NLLPA represents approximately 400 Professional Lacrosse Players more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Deemed an essential service, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)-represented Mail Carriers are working - and are being paid, during the Federal Shutdown. But that’s not stopping the Union for doing all it can to support its fellow Brother and Sister Federal Employees who are not. “We are working, more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Your On-Line Labor Newspaper is republishing this Labor News Story that it originally published back on October 29th, 2015. In celebrating Halloween 2025, WNYLaborToday.com thought it was important to underscore and recognize - once again - what Actors Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi did to organize their fellow Actors more»

Brayton Wilson at WBEN-AM reports Union Leaders are calling for a boycott of the Downtown Buffalo Hyatt Regency Hotel, which is embroiled in an ongoing labor dispute between Unionized Workers and management. Luke Sills, who has led the effort at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo and lost his job two months ago, says hotel management is still refusing to begin more»

Viktoria Hallikaar at Spectrum News reports that when you’re facing a medical emergency, time is of the essence - but in the Emergency Room (ER), wait times can often be hours long. Despite many getting into the medical field to help people, some say they face issues that impede that work. New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA)-represented more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – A new four-year contract covering more than 2,800 Members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Locals 1133 and 1168 at area Catholic Health Facilities has been ratified, Local 1133 President Brian Magner tells WNYLaborToday.com. The contract came not too soon after the Locals announced during the first week of September more»

(CHEEKTOWAGA, NEW YORK) - International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 4 will host the seventh annual Western & Central New York Glass and Glazing Forum on Thursday (October 17th) at the Building Trades Union’s Training Center, located on Aero Drive in the Buffalo Suburb of Cheektowaga. This free, community and more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168-represented Health Care Workers joined with members of the Buffalo Community today (Thursday, October 9th) outside the Kaleida Health Family Planning Clinic on Main Street to demand an immediate halt to the planned closure of what they described as this vital Clinic, as well as more»

(RANSOMVILLE, NEW YORK) – The tradition continued in 2025. In one of the most unique Labor-sponsored fundraisers in Western New York Union History, the Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Central Labor Council’s 2025 Labor’s Night At The Races to benefit the United Way of Greater Niagara raised more than $23,000 - bringing the 16-year total of this more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) is publicly recognizing and thanking a host of NYSNA-represented Nurses at the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), who saved lives following a tour bus crash that took place on the New York State Thruway in late August that killed five and injured more than four dozen people. While more»

(LAKE VIEW, NEW YORK) – While it might not be at a Buffalo Bills game in Orchard Park (where Unionized Construction Workers are building a new NFL Stadium for the home team), ask Jim “Smoker” Smolinski where he would rather be, than right here, right now when it comes to the first week of October and he’ll answer: The annual Western more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Joe Vertalino (pictured above), a 38-year United Steelworkers (USW) Member, is the USW District 4’s new Sub-District Director, succeeding Jim Briggs - who had served in the position for the past nine years. Vertalino, who officially started on January 1st, told WNYLaborToday.com his goal as Sub-District Director more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, Members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168 gathered with a host of Union Representatives, Elected Officials, Health Care Workers and their patients outside the DeGraff Medical Park in North Tonawanda on Wednesday (September 17th) to launch a concerted call to mobilize against more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Health Care Workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Locals 1133 and 1168 have announced its Members who are employed at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo have voted overwhelmingly - by more than 90% - to authorize a Strike if Catholic Health refuses to agree to a fair contract. The vote comes as negotiations more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1133 Executive Vice President Kevonna Neely and President Brian Magner are less than pleased with the state of new contract negotiations at Buffalo’s Catholic Health. The CWA held a news conference on Tuesday (September 2nd) in front of South Buffalo more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, Denise Szymura recently retired as President of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 815, which represents 5,200 Public Employees across Erie County. A 44-year Member of CSEA, Szymura is being both hailed and praised as an “amazing” Labor Leader who not only fought for the best more»

Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) President Denise Abbott, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168 President Cori Gambini & Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) President Richard Nigro have made City & State’s list of most influential New York State’s Labor Leaders. From City & State New York, a media more»

(NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK) - U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer has announced that after years of advocacy to secure relief for ailing multi-employer pension plans for Union Workers, Laborers’ Local 91’s Pension Plan covering Construction Workers in Niagara County will receive a $67 million pension fix from the Schumer-led American Rescue Plan. The plan more»

Ryan Quinn at Inside Higher Ed reports that for a month this Spring, the University of Rochester Graduate Labor Union (GLU), a group of Ph.D. Student Workers, staged a Strike. The Workers walked off the job, demanding the University host a private Unionization Election so they could vote and win recognition of the Union - all without having to go through more»

Joined by a number of Elected Officials, representatives of Buffalo Hyatt Workers United held a press conference outside the Downtown Hotel last week to condemn and denounce the firing of a key Union Leader. Luke Sills, who worked at the Hyatt for over two years and was named Employee of the Year, was a key leader of the Union Campaign and was leading the more»

(NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK) – Following five months of contract talks, 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU)-Represented Workers who are employed at the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center (NFMMC) and Health Home Services have overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year agreement that features significant wage and pension increases. Union more»

(CHEEKTOWAGA, NEW YORK) - About two dozen 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East-represented Caregivers who are employed at Catholic Health’s St. Joseph’s Campus in the Buffalo Suburb of Cheektowaga have unanimously ratified a new four-year contract that runs until May 31st, 2029. The Union Members more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Nearly 8,000 Hospital Workers - represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168 and 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East, at Kaleida Health have ratified a new three-year contract with the largest private employer in Western New York. Voting over the past three days at multiple more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Denise Abbott, who has served as President of the Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council and is Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168’s Health and Safety Officer, is the new President of the Western New York AFL-CIO Labor Federation (WNYALF) - the first Woman to ever hold that position. Abbott has been more»

(KENMORE, NEW YORK) – More than 100 Residual Service and Clerical Workers employed at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in Suburban Buffalo have voted to Unionize with Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1133. The 113 Health Care Workers hold positions as: Unit Clerks; in the Sterile Processing Department; in Patient Access; as Switchboard Operators; more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Just two hours before a Strike Authorization Vote was set to begin, Unionized Hospital Workers who are employed at Western New York’s largest Private Sector employer reached a tentative, three-year contract agreement. Nearly 8,000 Workers were demanding improvements in benefits and wages that would recruit and retain more more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Workers employed by Dash’s Markets at four locations throughout the Buffalo area have officially announced their intention to Unionize as they begin their fight to attain fair pay and better benefits and working conditions. The Workers, who made their announcement on the Social Network Instagram, are also seeking a voice more»

(RANSOMVILLE, NEW YORK) – The Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Central Labor Council’s 2025 Labor’s Night at the Races fundraiser that’s held to support the United Way of Greater Niagara at Ransomville Speedway raised $22,000 - bringing the fundraising total of the 16-year event to $247,000. Labor Representatives said 945 tickets were sold more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Union-represented Health Care Workers at Western New York’s largest employer, Kaleida Health, have agreed to a third contract extension through today (Friday, June 27th) at 11:59 p.m. The third extension of their current third-year contract comes as Workers demand improvements in benefits and wages that would recruit and more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – After a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic and changes in the Health Plan’s local leadership, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield - the only Buffalo-based Health Insurer with Union Members in its workforce, is resuming its annual Labor Seminar on Tuesday (July 1st), which will be held at its new offices located in more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - New leadership is headed for the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) as President Peter DeJesus, Jr. has stepped down to take a position with the New York State Workers Compensation Board. The choice of WNYALF’s next President - who will guide the nearly 145,000-Member Area Labor Federation, is expected to more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Led by Organized Labor, in concert with nearly three dozen Activist Constituency Groups and the local community, a couple of thousand people gathered in Buffalo’s Niagara Square in front of City Hall on Saturday (June 22nd) to stand up against President Donald Trump’s authoritarian and fascists stands, and recent more»