September 15, 2026
UUP President Fred Kowal joined state labor leaders at Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Annual Labor Appreciation Reception Sept. 9, where she signed legislation to protect workers and strengthen unions.
Kowal said he spoke with the governor and other state elected officials at the event about issues concerning UUP. Other labor leaders in attendance were AFT President Randi Weingarten, New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento, NYSUT President Melinda Person and PSC/CUNY President James Davis.
At the event, at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies in Manhattan, Hochul signed a new law that allows the attorney general to seek damages from anyone fraudulently presenting themselves as a union representative.
She signed two other laws as well. One gives employees access to their personnel files and requires management to notify workers if negative information is added to their files. The second ensures that construction workers are compensated for last-minute scheduling changes by their employers.
“New York has the best workforce in the nation. Our workers power our economy, build our communities and keep our state moving forward every single day,” Hochul said. “These common sense laws will put money in workers' pockets, safeguard their personal information and ensure that a hard day’s work is met with a fair day’s pay.”