Labor Power Players

Daniel J. Kane, Jr., a member since 1984 and a fourth-generation Teamster, is the president of Local 202, a 4,500 member Local responsible for supplying the New York City area with the food that millions of New Yorkers eat every day. During his career he has been responsible for the building of an organization that works on behalf of working men and women from New York City, to Hawaii, to Guam.

Dan started his career on the loading docks of the Hunts Point Market. He became the secretary-treasurer of Local 202 in 1991 and served in that capacity until being elected president of the Local in 1999. Dan has served on the Teamsters Joint Council 16 Executive Board, having held the office of secretary-treasurer.

Over the years his dedication has played an important part in working with the communities and elected officials in rebuilding the South Bronx. Many construction projects past and present are a direct result of Dan’s efforts.

Dan is also the Eastern Region Warehouse director for the Teamsters, which represents thousands of members from Maine to North Carolina and is a former board member of the Labor Research Association.

Dan is also a member of the Irish American Labor Coalition, an organization founded to support human rights in Northern Ireland.

During his career, Dan has also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Labor Relations from Empire College.

As president and CEO of Skanska USA, Richard is a 26-year veteran of the construction industry and responsible for Skanska’s U.S. construction operations. Under Richard’s leadership, the organization secured critical infrastructure projects that shape the way communities live, work, and connect. Projects include the $1.6 billion transformation of the James A. Farley Building into the Moynihan Train Hall at New York City’s Penn Station, and notably the recent opening of the $4 billion redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport Terminal B.

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

Todd M. Kerner has served as executive director of the Public Employees Federation since 2015. Previously, he worked for 21 years as a tax attorney for New York State, where he was very active as a PEF member, serving on the union’s executive board, contract team, and statewide labor-management and health/safety committees. Todd also chairs the Saratoga County Democratic Committee, a position he’s held since 2011, and is a vice-chair of the NYS Democratic Committee.

What sector does your union service (healthcare, construction, etc.)?
PEF represents 50,000 public employees in New York State. Our membership consists of more than 3,000 professional, scientific, and technical (PS&T) titles, including nurses, social workers, scientists, engineers, and parole officers, to name just a handful.

What are the benefits that unions (your particular union, if applicable) offer their members?
PEF is the bargaining unit for all PS&T titles in New York. We negotiate the contract, advocate for member health and safety on the job, and represent members when disputes arise with management.

What brought you to organizing and/or the issue of worker advocacy?
I saw firsthand the erosion of the civil service merit system in the State workforce. In the mid-1990s it became clear that the system was being ignored and privatization of public services was taking its place.

How will New York’s labor force evolve in the next five years?
There will always be strength in numbers. PEF’s goal is to grow and engage our membership so New York State has no choice but to invest in the proud public employees who keep the State running.

What kind of impact does organized labor have on local communities?
PEF is New York. We are your neighbors. Our members are the nurses who treat your sick child, the mental health care professional who cares for your loved one when they need it most, or the engineer who inspects the transportation you use every day.

Alan Klinger is co-managing partner of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP and chair of its government affairs and regulatory support group. He is recognized as one of the leading public sector union lawyers in the metropolitan New York area. Alan serves on the board of NYU Law School, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and is vice chair of the Anti-Defamation League’s New York and New Jersey Region. He is a frequent lecturer and writer on issues of import to the public sector workforce. 

What sector does your union service (healthcare, construction, etc.)?
Significant public sector unions in New York City, including the United Federation of Teachers, the Council of Supervisors and Administrators, the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, District Council 37, and Teamsters Union Local 237, along with serving as outside general counsel to the NYC Municipal Labor Committee, a statutorily-created consortium of NYC’s 102 public sector unions. We also represent affiliated benefits funds of these unions.

What are the benefits that unions (your particular union, if applicable) offer their members?
Stroock offers comprehensive counsel to public sector unions and their associated benefits funds in connection with collective bargaining matters, contractual fact-finding and arbitration proceedings, improper practice proceedings and regulatory oversight to the operation of the affiliated benefit funds.

What brought you to organizing and/or the issue of worker advocacy?
A profound belief in the need to ensure that workers are treated fairly in our economic system.  “Management” has plenty of resources at its disposal to advance its interests; “Labor” needs to have an equally strong voice to promote its cause, both as to wages and appropriate working conditions. I studied the development of labor unions in college and took classes in law school, all of which convinced me that having a strong labor movement not only benefited the represented workers, but also led to better working conditions for the broader workforce.  

How will New York’s labor force evolve in the next five years?
I believe the public sector workforce will remain strong and a potent force in the political world.  The “death” of Labor predicted in the aftermath of the United States Supreme Court decision in Janus (the agency fee case) has not occurred, certainly not in New York. What the Janus decision did was inspire public sector unions to reach out to their members to show them the value of the union. They have been extraordinarily successful in maintaining membership levels even in the face of workers now being able to “free ride” without having to pay their “fair share” for union representation in collective bargaining and related contexts. The unions also mobilized to successfully have New York State laws amended to provide protections to their ability to interact with members and provide benefits that would inure only to them. This combination of proactive outreach and statutory protections should enhance the prospects for growth in the public sector.  

What kind of impact does organized labor have on local communities?
Organized labor promotes the growth of a middle-class that provides stability to local communities, both as taxpayers and consumers of products. Organized labor also promotes an involved citizenry that tends to have as its agenda progressive causes that advance general societal interests, whether it be good and honest government, safe working conditions or a concern for the environment.

Running on a platform to make United University Professions a dynamic and progressive force, Frederick E. Kowal of Warnerville, New York, won election as UUP president in May 2013. UUP is the nation’s largest public higher education union and represents more than 37,000 academic and professional faculty on the State University of New York’s 29 state-operated campuses. UUP has become a politically influential organization in New York state, bringing attention to important issues such as securing long-term funding sources for SUNY, combating climate change and fighting for racial and social justice.

Central to this political work has been Kowal’s insistence that UUP take on the role of offering innovative solutions to the challenges facing New York State. His “NY25” plan, released in 2019, is a bold, wide-ranging blueprint that sets SUNY as a leader in combating climate change and the state’s transition to a sustainable future, while promoting the health of all New Yorkers and establishing reliable, long-term resources for public higher education in New York. It sets a solid course for SUNY into the 2020s.

In 2020, Kowal strengthened the bonds between the union and its members during the coronavirus pandemic, spearheading a program to provide UUP members on the front lines with hotel rooms near SUNY’s public hospitals and holding a series of “Tele-town Hall” forums with members—the first time UUP has ever held such events. He directed the purchase of personal protective equipment for essential workers at SUNY’s hospitals, including 100,000 isolation gowns and thousands of N95 masks and Nitrile gloves.

Kowal grew up in the mill town of Chicopee, MA, the son of working class, union-represented parents. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Western New England University, a master’s in economics at American University and a doctorate in political science from UAlbany.

Daniel Kroop was elected to serve as the first president of the Association of Legislative Employees in November 2021. ALE represents approximately 400 New York City Council staff and is America’s largest union of legislative aides. Together with a team of dedicated worker-organizers, Dan helped build ALE from scratch and win union recognition. During his term, ALE has won ongoing hybrid work flexibility and a historic increase in the City Council budget to $100 million, which sets the stage for the union’s first contract negotiations.

What sector does your union service (healthcare, construction, etc.)?
Public sector/government.

What are the benefits that unions (your particular union, if applicable) offer their members?
Unions are workers’ collective tool to fight for better pay, transparency, fairness, and communication, and fight against harassment and discrimination. A union gives workers power they didn’t have before. We need to rebuild a fighting labor movement.

What brought you to organizing and/or the issue of worker advocacy?
Before joining the City Council, I organized with healthcare and low-wage workers. I am a proud queer socialist, and firmly believe in the power of the labor movement to improve lives. My mom, sister, and partner are all active in their unions.

How will New York’s labor force evolve in the next five years?
Workers from Starbucks to the City Council are getting organized. Younger workers favor unions and the pandemic has emboldened many to fight back. If workers keep working together toward common needs, the labor movement can grow and strengthen.

What kind of impact does organized labor have on local communities?
Labor unions built the middle class and can combat the concentration of wealth among the richest 1%. We should unite our battles against all forms of inequality and oppression into a broader class struggle for what workers and communities need.

Richard Lanigan was elected to his second term as business manager of Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 153 in fall 2021. Under Mr. Lanigan’s leadership, Local 153 has represented members in grievances, negotiated contracts with employers, provided assistance to their membership during the COVID-19 pandemic, and fought for furloughs rather than layoffs, ensuring that members retained health insurance coverage. Mr. Lanigan also oversaw a merger with Local 112, which added nearly 800 nurses to 153’s membership.

Lenny Legotte is the president and business manager of Local One IUEC in New York, New Jersey, and the surrounding areas. He received his degree in Labor Relations from the National Labor College and then worked his way up the ranks of Local One. Lenny is also the senior vice president for the International Union of Elevator Constructors and the chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Local One IUEC Annuity/401K Plan. His leadership on the Board of Trustees for National Elevator Industry Education Program has resulted in significant changes to the education system that supports 10,000 apprentices across the country. 

In addition to being involved with a number of labor organizations, Lenny is a former Marine and on the board for Helmets to Hardhats. He takes great pride in knowing Local One has hired well over 300 veterans into the elevator industry.  He was recently honored as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Ronald McDonald House. Lenny is also a Board member of Nontraditional Employment for Women and is the recipient of the 2019 NEW Equity Leadership Award.

Lenny is married and the proud father of three.  He spends most of his spare time traveling to and cheering on his kids’ sporting events and is regarded as a “Hometown Hero” by the Board of Education in his current hometown.

Under the leadership of President Daniel C. Levler and his Executive Board, Suffolk AME has established itself among lawmakers, community leaders, and other Union officials. With strong relationships in both parties, President Levler has played a key role in important issues. Recently, President Levler was instrumental in leading the charge to see our 911 dispatchers and operators recognized as First Responders, a designation signed into law on September 11, 2021. 

Suffolk AME is highly engaged with the general public through the Suffolk Matters weekly radio show listened to by thousands each week, the Mayday Music Festival, and through our support for charities that play a critical role in our communities. President Levler also serves as co-chair of the New York State Public Employee Conference, providing a statewide leadership role. President Levler’s diverse skill set and ability to produce results will see our Union through every storm.