2023 Labor Power Players

Having spent nearly two decades at the intersection of policy, politics and public affairs, at the highest levels of government, politics, media, and labor, Jenn and Austin share not only a house and their 2 amazing children, but this shared passion.

What is one of your organization’s recent successes?
In just its first year, Green Book Strategies has established itself as a go-to consulting firm when the political going is tough. From working with the NY Hotel Trades & Gaming Council on expanding casino gaming and the conversion of failing hotels to affordable housing stock, to helping run a 32BJ-led coalition in support of hospital pricing transparency and affordability, GBS has been at the forefront of some of the labor community’s biggest advocacy campaigns.

George Gresham is president of 1199SEIU, the nation’s largest healthcare union. Under his leadership, 1199SEIU has secured industry-leading standards for healthcare workers and positioned the union as a major force for advancing progressive causes throughout New York and nationally. He began his career in housekeeping at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and over four decades has held nearly every position in the union, from member delegate to president, a title which he has had since 2007.

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?
Organized labor is the single most powerful force for working people to improve their conditions of life. This is true for workers of all demographics, and especially for women and people of color whose membership in unions corresponds to dramatic improvements in wages, access to affordable healthcare, and retirement benefits.  By organizing together in unions, workers can marshal their collective resources to have an influential voice in their communities and strengthen our democratic system.

Patrick 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.

What is one of your organization’s recent successes?
Local 1049 is at the forefront of many issues facing utility workers across the State. The local union has used its considerable influence to ensure its voice has been heard on the movement to ban natural gas which will eliminate the jobs of thousands of workers across the State and the State Legislature’s Commission to municipalize the Long Island Power Authority.

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?
Giving workers an equal voice in the workplace shifts the balance of power allowing people to bargain for better wages, benefits, working conditions and retirement with dignity. Jobsite safety improves with workers having the ability to freely speak about hazards as they occur. Union members have also been highly successful in lobbying for legislation that protects working people.

Sam Haass is a founding partner of Slingshot Strategies. A political operative and strategist, Mr.Haass has more than a decade of experience in elections at all levels as well as with national issue organizations and independent expenditures. Recently, Slingshot Strategies notched major victories across their communications, polling, and advisory practices including polling for 32BJ SEIU. Mr. Haass holds a degree in international politics and security studies from Georgetown University.

Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, is president of the New York State Nurses Association Board of Directors, the oldest nurses’ union in the nation, representing more than 42,000 registered nurses across the state. Ms. Hagans is a nurse and critical care expert who was first elected to NYSNA’s Board in 2015. She is a native of Haiti and started her career as a surgical intensive care nurse in 1990 at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn.

What is one of your organization’s recent successes?
On January 12, 2023, nurses at Mount Sinai South Nassau voted by a majority to join the New York State Nurses Association, the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in New York State. The approximately 800 nurses at South Nassau represent the last non-union facility in the entire Mount Sinai health system.

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?
NYSNA nurses are working together to improve working conditions for all healthcare workers. Our Health and Safety committees, delegates, and local leaders are our first line of defense.

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, which improve the overall health and well-being of its members. Junior is a native New Yorker and 25 year employee of UnitedHealthcare. 

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?
Union membership offers comprehensive, full-spectrum healthcare access and coverage.

Mark Henry serves as president and business agent of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1056, which represents public transit workers in New York. In addition to providing health benefits — including dental, vision, and hearing — to its members, during the COVID-19 pandemic Local 1056 advocated for mandatory masking on public transportation, ensuring that workers in some of the most high-exposure positions remained protected.

Marc Herbst serves as the executive director of the Long Island Contractors’ Association, the premier regional trade association of the heavy construction industry. Herbst serves concurrently as president of the New York Roadway and Infrastructure Coalition and is a past chairman of the Council of State Executives for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.

What is one of your organization’s recent successes?
Supporting the Environmental Bond Act which will provide thousands of jobs and investments in water infrastructure across Long Island.

Karen Ignagni serves as chief executive officer for the EmblemHealth family of companies, which has provided access to care for more than 80 years to working New Yorkers through EmblemHealth, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health insurers. The organization also includes a network of community-based primary and specialty care practices — AdvantageCare Physicians and BronxDocs — and launched WellSpark Health, a national wellness company focused on bridging the gap between physical and mental wellness.

What is one of your organization’s recent successes?
In the heart of Queens, we’re now offering comprehensive mental health programming at our Flushing EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care (EHNC) center through our Mind and Body Well-Being Program—helping to address the mind, body, and soul needs of our members with a focus on the Chinese American community. Our 13 EHNC locations go beyond physical care to help the City learn healthier behaviors, a testament to our 80-year legacy of serving New Yorkers and government employees.

Senator Robert Jackson has been a staunch advocate for New Yorkers, taking on difficult fights. He initiated the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, walking 150 miles to Albany to secure a court judgment of $16 billion for NYC public schools. As a city council member, he sponsored the Small Business Jobs Survival Act. In his current role as state senator, he continues to champion public education, worker’s rights, climate justice, gun safety and more.

What is one of your organization’s recent successes?
Our office has achieved significant successes recently with the following: 

• Pension Reform: Vesting for pensions is now after 5 years of employment rather than 10 years.
• Nurse Overtime Bill: Employers can no longer force nurses into mandatory overtime without an explanation and plan for ending the overtime or risk facing civil penalties.

What are the benefits that union membership (your union if applicable) provides?
Unions are beneficial for all workers, providing improved wages and working conditions, reducing wage gaps for women and people of color, and offering greater job safety protections and paid leave. Additionally, union members are in a more secure position when it comes to exercising their rights in the workplace. As a union member, you have the advantage of collective bargaining power to negotiate with your employer rather than having to negotiate as an individual.