Labor Power Players

Peter J. Abbate, Jr., is a lifelong resident of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, has been elected by the people of Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, and Borough Park to represent them in the New York State Assembly since 1986. He is currently the chairman of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Employees, chairman of the Subcommittee on Safety in the Workplace, and a member of the Assembly Workers’ Compensation Task Force. His standing committee assignments are Aging, Banks, Consumer Affairs, and Protection and Labor.

Vincent Alvarez was elected as the NYCCLC’s first full-time president and first Latino president in 2011, having previously served as assistant legislative director of the New York State AFL-CIO. A member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers since 1990, Vinny began his career with IBEW Local 3, serving on numerous political campaigns, grassroots initiatives, and negotiating committees. Vinny is also a Class C director and deputy chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Board of Directors, and serves on numerous other advisory boards.

In 1986, Angelo Angelone started with CCW as a journeyman, became a shop steward and then an organizer who advocated for job safety and fair wages. In 2012, he began serving as Local 6A’s business manager. In 2016, Mr. Angelone was elected to serve as president and business manager for his District Council by representing members from his three locals on the Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Board. He now supports and advises the local presidents and business managers to fight for the expansion of jobs and opportunities for their membership.

What sector does your union service (healthcare, construction, etc.)?
Construction.

What are the benefits that unions (your particular union, if applicable) offer their members?
Local 6A, 18A, and 20 represent and offer 3,000 members middle-class careers and benefits, making a better life for their families.

What brought you to organizing and/or the issue of worker advocacy?
My experience as a laborer gave me a passion for the work and for the membership. It is a privilege of a lifetime to have the opportunity to represent the hardworking men and women of the Cement and Concrete Workers.

How will New York’s labor force evolve in the next five years?
Through the power of organizing, the support of LIUNA’s leadership, and working together with our current partners in government, we will expose the non-union construction industry that has taken advantage of workers for far too long.

What kind of impact does organized labor have on local communities?
Cement and Concrete Workers District Council is one of the most diverse of any labor union across NYC. 70% of our membership is either Black or Latino, and over half live in one of the five boroughs. This brings opportunities to local communities.

Andrew Ansbro serves as president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94, which was first founded in 1917 to protect the rights of members and secure safe working conditions and which now represents 20,000 active-duty and retired New York City firefighters. Local 94 has successfully advocated for legislation to compensate firefighters who became ill or injured as a result of their rescue and cleanup efforts following the attacks on the World Trade Center, as well as legislation to protect the pensions of members and expand disability protections.

Stuart Appelbaum has served as president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union since 1998. He is also executive vice president of the 1.3 million member UFCW; he is a vice president of the national AFL-CIO, where he co-chairs the federation’s International Committee. Globally, he is the president of UNI Global Commerce (a federation representing 160 unions and 4 million workers worldwide involved in commerce). Appelbaum also chairs the Amazon Global Alliance.

Appelbaum is president of the Jewish Labor Committee, and a member of the Executive Council of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy. He previously served as treasurer of the Empire State Pride Agenda and as a board member of the Latino Victory Fund.  He is a vice president of the Consortium for Worker Education.

Appelbaum is a member of the Democratic National Committee where he chairs the DNC’s Labor Council, and is a member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee. He has served as a delegate to every Democratic National Convention since 1992.

Appelbaum is a summa cum laude graduate of Brandeis University. He graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the bar of the State of Connecticut. Appelbaum resides in Manhattan with his husband, Michihito Osawa.

As president of The Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Matthew Aracich represents a number of affiliated locals, including Boilermakers Local 5, Cement Masons Local 780, and Service Employees Local 276. Prior to becoming president of the NSBCTC, Mr. Aracich was the business manager of the Heat and Frost Insulators Local 12.

Local 2507 President Oren Barzilay represents over 3,000 uniformed EMTs, paramedics, and fire inspector employees within the New York City Fire Department. Local 2507 is responsible for negotiating terms that ensure safe working conditions, provide an adequate and equitable path for resolving grievance disputes, and securing fair compensation. Local 2507 is an affiliate of District Council 37, the largest public employee union in New York City.

As business manager for the Mason Tenders’ District Council, Robert Bonanza oversees the representation of nearly 15,000 construction workers, hazardous materials handlers, and recycling and waste handlers. Mr. Bonanza also serves as president of Laborers Local 66, comprised of over 1,000 construction site laborers in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Local 66 offers a variety of benefits and training programs to its members, including safety trainings and apprenticeship programs.

Benny Boscio, Jr., began his career as a New York City Correction Officer in 1999. Over his 22 years of service, he has worked in various Commands, including the Anna M. Kross Center, the Applicant Investigation Unit , the Vernon C. Bain Center, and the Bronx Courts.

In 2005, Benny was appointed as a delegate to the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, representing the Bronx Courts. His hard work, labor-management knowledge, and commitment to his members earned him an election to the COBA Executive Board as sergeant-at-arms in 2012. During his tenure as an Executive Board member, he has mentored many delegates on effective management and negotiation of Labor Relations issues.

He was elected COBA president in 2020 by an overwhelming margin of victory, and in just his first year Benny has delivered meaningful results for Correction Officers and their families. His vigorous advocacy helped secure an Arbitration Award, which preserved the raises, retro pay, and benefits owed to his members. He also lobbied the New York State Legislature to pass the COVID Absences Bill, which makes it illegal for any public employer, including the New York City Department of Correction, from taking any disciplinary action against any public employee for COVID-19 related absences.

Kyle Bragg was re-elected in 2021 to lead SEIU 32BJ and their 85,000+ members in New York serving a majority Black, Brown, and immigrant workforce. After backing Eric Adams and Adrienne Adams for their respective successful races for Mayor and City Council Speaker, Kyle has his sights set on taming overpriced hospitals so all New Yorkers have access to affordable health care. Kyle was born and raised in Queens where he still lives and gives back to the community through his work with local nonprofits.

What sector does your union service (healthcare, construction, etc.)?
32BJ represents residential building service workers, commercial office cleaners, school cleaners, security officers, and airport workers, among other essential workers throughout New York City.

What are the benefits that unions (your particular union, if applicable) offer their members?
The union’s crown jewel benefit for members is 100% employer paid family health insurance. The majority of members in NYC also receive access to the 32BJ Training Fund to grow their careers, legal assistance, and a comprehensive retirement plan.

What brought you to organizing and/or the issue of worker advocacy?
I grew up in a labor family committed to fighting for workers. My father was an organizer and vice president of 1199 SEIU from the 1960s through the early 1980s. At 16, I led my first strike. While in college, I began working as a Shop Steward with 1199.

How will New York’s labor force evolve in the next five years?
We are committed to working with the city, stakeholders, and allies to ensure investments in workforce development programs and expanding prevailing wage requirements that lift up all workers.

What kind of impact does organized labor have on local communities?
We always have the bigger picture in mind and how our work lifts up entire communities. 32BJ members are majority Black, Brown, and immigrant. For all of our members, their union job is what makes the difference in being able to provide for their families.