2024 Labor Power Players

Christopher Erikson was born and raised in Flushing, NY. He was initiated into Local 3 in 1975. Christopher served an apprenticeship and became a journeyman electrician in 1980. He was appointed as a business representative in 1989 and negotiated contracts that improved wages and benefits for thousands of Local 3 members. In 2006, Christopher was elected business manager. He serves on the boards of the NYCCLC and the NYCBCTC. Christopher is a proud trade unionist.

What led you down your current career path?
My family has led Local 3 for over 90 years. My grandfather Harry Van Arsdale Jr. became business manager in 1933, his son Thomas Van Arsdale in 1968, and I was elected in 2006. What was instilled in me was that the only purpose of the Union was to serve the membership and we have done that with distinction. With the support of the membership, there will be progress and our members have benefitted ever since.

What does your organization hope to accomplish in 2024?
To raise the standards of workers who are being exploited by unscrupulous employers. To help them to organize by educating them about the benefits of having union representation. We will work hard to elect representatives who are committed to fixing the problems in America. It is our hope that our country will reject the extremists on both the right and the left and that the moderates in both parties will prevail to save our democracy.

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?
Membership in Local 3 provides a path to the middle class. Wages and benefits that allow our members to afford a home, and medical benefits provided for themselves and their families. The ability to send their children to college and most importantly to be able to retire in dignity. Adequate pensions and medical care. Educational benefits, college tuition and scholarships for their children and union representation. A well-earned path to the middle class.

Rafael Espinal, a proud Brooklynite and former New York City council member, leads the Freelancers Union, championing freelancer rights. In 2023, he notably expanded the Freelance Isn’t Free Act across New York State, making it the first state to protect freelancers against nonpayment. His efforts underscore a commitment to enhancing the livelihood of independent workers, ensuring their voices are heard, and securing legal protections. This milestone reflects his dedication to the freelance community’s well-being and legal rights.

What led you down your current career path?
Growing up in an underrepresented part of Brooklyn, with parents who were Dominican immigrants and freelancers, I’ve always been driven to uplift the voiceless. Also witnessing the struggles of many of my millennial peers navigating the precarious world of freelance work, inspired me to advocate for them. As a council member, I fought for their rights. Leading Freelancers Union was a natural progression, allowing me to ensure their needs were met on a larger scale.

What does your organization hope to accomplish in 2024?
We are continuing to hit the ground and pushing for an expansion of services for independent workers, especially those on the lower income scale. Just this month we are launching free legal services thanks to the support of the New York City Council and our hope is to expand that statewide.

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?
Freelancers Union is a nonprofit organization that serves freelancers across the U.S. We provide education, advocacy, and access to tools and benefits for independent workers regardless of industry or income level. Our goal is to ensure every independent worker has the resources they need to succeed on their own.

A 38-year member of Laborers Local 66, Steve Flanagan has served as business manager for the last 20 years. A strong fiscal manager, he has built up reserves and has grown the pension. Under his leadership, Local 66 built a powerful political program that has passed countless pieces of pro-worker legislation, implemented the first-ever four-year public high school union pre-apprenticeship program, and secured countless PLAs on major construction projects throughout Long Island.

What does your organization hope to accomplish in 2024?
To continue to grow our union through strong organizing efforts, providing a pathway to the middle class for more Long Islanders. In addition, implementing a Project Labor Agreement for all SUNY campuses across New York State in this year’s State legislative session is a big priority. Lastly, ensuring the success of our newly created pre-apprenticeship program in Long Island’s public high schools will provide students direct entry into our New York State registered apprenticeship program.

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?
Construction is a dangerous industry, and safety is the most important aspect of the job. While a strong wage, health benefits and a thriving pension are all critical benefits to our members, here at Laborers Local 66 we are most proud of the continual safety training all members are provided at no cost to them.

Wonderful personality, positive outlook, a very dependable person, hard worker and a great motivator are the attributes to best describe Shaun D. Francois I, the successful president of Local 372. In August 2014, Shaun D. Francois I, was elected the new president of Local 372, the largest local in District Council 37 (DC 37) with a membership of over 24,000. President Francois also was elected the president of DC 37 in 2018.

What led you down your current career path?
My ascension to the presidency began over 27 years ago when I accepted a position with the New York City Department of Education (D.O.E.), as a substitute senior school lunch helper. However, in the 1980’s as a teenager, I paid a visit to DC 37 and was impressed by the activism and dedication of the membership. This visit ignited a desire to belong to a union and to fight for my fellow man.

What does your organization hope to accomplish in 2024?
I have set many ambitious goals including protecting the rights of workers and eliminating income inequality. I will always campaign to increase funding for Local 372’s titles, for automatic enrollment to the pension, and adding more employees to NYC schools in Local 372’s titles, especially in cafeterias, SAPIS title and school crossing guards title.

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?

• Job security
• Pension
• Full health coverage for full time and part time employees
• Unit bargaining
• Dental, eye and prescription plans
• Representation
• Contractual bargaining

Henry Garrido is the executive director of District Council 37, New York City’s largest municipal employee union. A native of the Dominican Republic, he is the first Latino to head DC 37 since it was formed in 1944. Garrido also serves as an AFSCME international vice president, co-chair of the Municipal Labor Committee, trustee on the City of New York’s Workforce Investment Board, advisory board member of the Independent Budget Office, and trustee of NYCERS.

Since elected in 2013 as the executive secretary-treasurer of the NYC District Council of Carpenters, Joseph A. Geiger has advocated for working people, fought for family-sustaining wages and benefits, and maintained the highest safety standards on NYC job sites, while pushing for critical pro-worker legislation. During his tenure, Joe has kept a pro-developer tax abatement out of the NYS budget, combatted wage theft on construction sites, and ensured that all NYC Housing is built union.

What led you down your current career path?
I began my career 40 years ago as a timberman and worked my way up to take the reins of the 20,000-member NYC carpenters’ union.

What does your organization hope to accomplish in 2024?
New York is facing an affordability crisis. This year, our union is tackling this through a proposal that replaces the flawed 421-a program, builds more housing, and creates good-paying jobs that are critical to truly addressing affordability. 2024 is also a big election year, and our members stand ready to support and elect labor allies into office and continue our ongoing efforts to protect the rights of working people and uphold union values.

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?
We offer many benefits including family-sustaining wages, comprehensive health care coverage, pension plans, vacation funds, and job security through collective bargaining agreements. Our members receive ongoing training and skill development to ensure they stay current with industry standards and continue to grow in their careers. We represent the most skilled construction workers in the city who are not only building our skyline but also building stable futures for themselves and their communities.

Ligia Guallpa is the executive director of the Worker’s Justice Project (WJP), a 15,000-member worker center that educates, organizes and fights for better work conditions. WJP organized Los Deliveristas Unidos (LDU), a worker collective making historic strides for deliveristas – raising labor standards through six landmark laws protecting New York City’s 65,000 app-based delivery workers and, most recently, a historic first-in-the-nation minimum pay. Guallpa is the daughter of a former day laborer and garment worker.

What does your organization hope to accomplish in 2024?
WJP will continue its partnership with the NYC Department of Parks and Department of Transportation for a first-in-the-nation initiative to build public charging stations for e-battery-powered bikes and rest hubs across the city to respond to the growing need for e-battery-powered bikes. In addition, we will continue our work in other industries, such as our long-running construction safety classes for women, aiming to help immigrant women dismantle the gender barriers in the construction sector.

Pat Guidice serves as business manager for the IBEW Local 1049, one of the largest private sector labor unions in NY. Local 1049’s jurisdiction covers all work at National Grid and LIPA/PSEG Long Island. Pat holds executive positions with the LI Federation of Labor, the Labor Education and Community Services Agency, LI Labor and Employment Association, the NYS Association of Electrical Workers, the IBEW Utility Labor Council and the College Council of SUNY Maritime College.

Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, is president of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), the nation’s oldest union and professional association of registered nurses, and she serves on the Council of Presidents of National Nurses United (NNU), with nearly 225,000 members nationwide.

Junior Harewood is the CEO of UnitedHealthcare of New York for employer and individual health plans. In this role, Junior is charged with leading the commercial health plans in New York to successfully deliver affordable, quality health care programs to employers and plan sponsors, to improve the overall health and well-being of its members.

What led you down your current career path?
I come from a family of health care professionals, including nurses, lab technicians, social workers, healthcare union organizers and nursing home aides, so it was a natural fit for me to gravitate to this space. Throughout my 26 years with UnitedHealthcare, my passion for healthcare has grown as I’ve had the opportunities to engage in all aspects of the industry while helping people live healthier lives.

What does your organization hope to accomplish in 2024?
At UnitedHealthcare, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We dedicate ourselves to this every day for our members by being there for what matters in moments big and small — from their earliest days to their working years and through retirement.