For Immediate Release

October 21, 2026

United University Professions, the nation’s largest higher education union, strongly opposes proposed legislation by the Albany Common Council to pursue state approval to exact an earnings tax on nonresident workers who travel to Albany.

The following quotes can be attributed to UUP President Fred Kowal:

"This is an unserious proposal that targets workers who commute to Albany for work, and fails to take into account the revenue these workers already generate for city businesses and the city itself. From shopping and parking to staying in Albany after work to see a show or a sporting event, workers commuting to the state capital generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue each year for Albany businesses.

"An Albany suburb, the town of Bethlehem, estimates that town residents who work in Albany account for between $15 million and $25 million each year in revenue — just in food and beverage purchases alone.

"Hundreds of UUP workers who live outside the city drive into Albany daily to work at the University at Albany and SUNY System Administration. Levying this commuter tax on our members to help the city to dig out of a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall is irresponsible and unfair.

"We urge city leaders to abandon this impractical, unwise proposal."