2025 Labor Power Players

Vilda Vera Mayuga became commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection in February 2022. Mayuga is a seasoned public servant across all levels of government with extensive experience in consumer protection, workers’ rights, and engagement with immigrants. Mayuga graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Boston University and received her law degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Mayuga is a member of the New York Bar.

What are your organization’s goals for 2025?
First, we are launching a pilot to provide city workers with the support they need to access Public Service Loan Forgiveness, something I know firsthand can be difficult to navigate on your own. Second, as announced in Mayor Adams’ State of the City address, we are going to be bringing our trusted financial empowerment services to NYC Public Schools with the goal of giving youth the tools they need to be financially healthy adults by 2030.

How can policymakers support your organization?
DCWP is a small team of dedicated and passionate professionals, but our impact and mandate are very large. As an agency of only 400 people, we are one of the smaller city agencies, but our work touches the lives of almost every New Yorker every day. The work we do is critical and with more resources, we could have an even bigger positive impact in the lives of our neighbors.

What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part about being commissioner is using my own experiences as a woman of color to come and lead an outstanding group of professionals to deliver for New Yorkers every day whether it is by stopping abusive anti-consumer practices, enforcing worker protection laws, or making our city more affordable through our NYC Free Tax Prep program and our Financial Empowerment Services.

Gloria Middleton became president of CWA Local 1180 in 2018. She is the first African American and first female to lead the 9,000 active-member local. She is chair and trustee for the Local’s Benefits and Annuity funds, is the diversity member-at-large eastern region for the national CWA, is a treasurer of the Municipal Labor Committee, executive board member of the Central Labor Council, and co-chair of the Public Employees Conference.

Roger Milliner is chief growth officer for MetroPlusHealth, where he manages a staff of 350+ employees and increased membership by 930%. He works diligently to foster relationships with community leaders, city agencies, and community-based organizations and has helped to shape healthcare policies and government-sponsored programs in the State of New York. He received his B.S. in health care administration from St. Joseph’s College and is a Certified Health Care Insurance Executive (CHIE) from AHIP. 

Michael Mulgrew is the fifth president of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents nearly 200,000 public school educators, nurses and other titles and organizations. He was elected in July 2009. Under Mulgrew’s leadership in the 2022–23 school year, the union negotiated a five-year contract that guaranteed wage increases and annual bonuses and addressed long-standing issues of time and respect – all with no givebacks. The contract, which extends to November 2027, was ratified by the largest turnout in the union’s history. A Staten Island native, Mulgrew taught for 12 years at William E. Grady High School in Brooklyn, where he also served as a union chapter leader.

Kevin Mulvehill is a partner at Phillips Lytle, a member of the firm’s Governing Committee and the leader of its Labor and Employment Practice Team. He focuses his practice in the areas of labor and employment law and litigation; wage and hour law and litigation; class and collective actions; commercial litigation; and corporate law. He provides counsel and strongly advocates on behalf of clients, including public- and private-sector companies.

A former elementary school teacher, Charles W. Murphy has served as a New York State trooper for 22 years. He currently represents 7,000 active and retired uniformed members of the New York State Police as the president of the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association.

What are your organization’s goals for 2025?
We’re committed to combatting the staffing issues our members are dealing with daily which are caused by burnout, increased retirements, and recruitment challenges. We’re advocating for enhanced on-the-job support for officers, including the creation of a new critical incident leave policy to help troopers manage extreme job-related stress. We’re also fighting for new policies that would ensure the state fairly recognizes our members’ hard work and signals to prospective recruits that New York prioritizes public service.

How can policymakers support your organization?
Lawmakers can join our fight to address the recruitment and retention crisis impacting our members. This includes sponsoring legislation that ensures troopers are fairly and competitively compensated for their service, including in retirement. It also involves addressing root causes of burnout and working with our union to advocate for a better workplace climate. It’s essential that policymakers take steps to restore positive public perception of our work, which is critical for bolstering public safety statewide.

What is your favorite part of your job?
It’s a great honor and responsibility to fight for these brave public servants who are willing to risk their lives for the millions of citizens they protect. Advocating for the resources and support they need is a privilege I take great pride in. Making a positive impact on the lives of such selfless people who are positively impacting the lives of others is incredibly fulfilling.

Nneka Ogwumike, the 2016 WNBA MVP and champion, was the 1st overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. A proud Nigerian-American and Texas native, she is a role model and advocate for equality, women’s empowerment, and wellness. As WNBPA [resident, she led the 2020 CBA renegotiation. 9x All-Star, she has also won international titles in Russia, China, Poland and a 2018 FIBA World Cup Championship gold medal with Team USA.

What are your organization’s goals for 2025?
Our main goal as a union in 2025 is to continue to advocate and fight for equity in women’s sports. Through what will be another historical CBA negotiation, we will demonstrate how to prioritize player protections and declare true value for women athletes. 

How can policymakers support your organization?
Support is as simple as engaging with the WNBPA, its members, and the league they play in: follow your favorite players, root for your home team, watch us on TV, and attend a game.

What is your favorite part of your job?
What I love most about my role is the opportunity to engage and impact with the most phenomenal athletes in the world.

Manny Pastreich is president of 32BJ SEIU. Under Manny’s leadership, 32BJ has secured contracts with historic increases for New York’s cleaning, security and airport essential workers, and is gearing up to do the same for his residential members. Manny is focused on advancing policies that benefit working families, including making housing more affordable, protecting the rights of immigrant communities, and capping out of control hospital costs.

Marianne Pizzitola is retired FDNY and has been fighting to protect retirees’ traditional Medicare benefits since 2021 when the Mayor sought to privatize Medicare and force all retirees into Medicare disadvantage plans diminishing their earned and paid-for benefits in retirement.

What are your organization’s goals for 2025?
Our organization’s goals are to protect the benefits, earned and paid for and promised to current New York City retirees. Protect Medicare from being privatized into Medicare disadvantage, the default plan in Project 2025. A Democratic city should be protecting their retired municipal workers, the disabled, 9/11 responders and survivors and line of duty, widows and widowers from predatory for-profit managed care

How can policymakers support your organization?
New York City policymakers can support our organization by passing Intro 1096 which preserves traditional Medicare for retired union workers and their families. This is also happening around New York State and the country. We also have legislation in the state to protect all New York State municipal retirees.

What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is connecting with my retirees, educating and empowering them to stand up for themselves because at the moment no one else is. Sadly, they have to fight to retain what they fought to earn. Watching a retiree educate a city council member is exciting.  When 100s of retirees come out to our events, that is the power of collective action!

Jessica Ramos represents New York’s 13th district in the state senate, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and part of Rego Park. Ramos chairs the senate committee on labor, where she’s fought to pass historic legislation to grant farm and domestic workers basic labor protections, tackle wage theft and worker safety, and secured $2.1 billion to create a fund for workers who have been excluded from pandemic-related relief.