November 6, 2018

UUP Communications won a whopping 14 awards in the 2018 International Labor Communications Association’s Labor Media Contest.

UUP has never won this many awards in ILCA's annual competition. The awards were announced Nov. 6. Click here to see a complete list of ILCA awards.

"Now more than ever, effectively communicating with our members is of the utmost importance," said UUP President Fred Kowal. "Kudos to our Communications Department for winning so many awards and for carrying out this vital task."

Associate Director of Communications Karen Mattison won a first-place award for producing a series of UUP flyers that opposed the 2017 New York Constitutional Convention. Communications Specialist Darryl McGrath also won a first-place writing award for her profile on Fredonia Chapter member Sherri Mason.

Communications Director Mike Lisi won a second-place award for best news video, which chronicled UUP’s participation in the Women’s March on Washington in January 2017. Lisi also won two Saul Miller awards for his stories on the March for Science and efforts by UUP members to push for a fair contract.

ILCA's Saul Miller awards highlight writing related to some of the key activities of unions: organizing, collective bargaining and political action. The awards honor the late Saul Miller, a director of the AFL-CIO Department of Information and a founder of ILCA.

UUP competed against more than 40 national and international labor organizations, including regional and staetwide unions, labor publications and huge union federations like the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Amalgamated Transit Union, the American Postal Workers Union and the California Federation of Teachers.

A complete list of awards is below.

First place

• General Excellence: Con Con flier series, Karen Mattison.
• Best Profile: “Member swims to draw attention to lake pollution”, Darryl McGrath.

Second place

• Best News Video: “UUP at Women’s March on Washington”, Mike Lisi.

Third Place

• Political Action/Organizing, Best Flyer: Vote No! to a NYS constitutional convention and protect the environment, Karen Mattison.
• Best News Video: “UUP in Solidarity: Walking the Momentive Picket Line”, Mike Lisi.
• Saul Miller Award for Collective Bargaining: “United for a fair contract", Mike Lisi.
• Saul Miller Award for Political Action: “March for Science: UUP members rally to support research, science, innovation”, Mike Lisi.
• Best Electronic Content—Writing: UUP wesbsite, Mike Lisi.
• Visual Communications – Best Design: March for Science: Science Doesn’t Lie poster, Luke Dangler.

Honorable Mention

• Best Multimedia Campaign: Vote No! to a NYS constitutional convention, Mike Lisi.
• Best Multimedia Campaign: “Heavy Cost” , Mike Lisi.
• Saul Miller Award for Political Action: “Vote NO!: UUP asks membership to mobilize against fall ballot referendum”, Darryl McGrath.
• Visual Communications—Best Design for Print Magazine: The Voice, Karen Mattison.
• General Excellence—Print Publication for Labor Union 30,001 members or more: The Voice, Mike Lisi, editor.