The Voice Podcast

On this episode of The Voice Podcast, host Fred Kowal talks with Congressman Tim Kennedy about his work in Washington, D.C. and what it's like to be in the minority of a Republican-led Congress.  Kennedy, a longtime friend to UUP, and Kowal discuss several bills Kennedy has sponsored, including the  DHS Release Transparency Act—a strong response to the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam.  Alam, a...

Collective bargaining is the foundation that organized labor is built on.  Truly, it’s at the heart of what unions are and what unions do for their members.  When UUP negotiates a contract for its members, our union has a equal hand in determining terms of employment—including compensation, job protections, benefits, work hours and more—with our employer, the state of New York.  Over the years, UU...

UUP President Fred Kowal sits down with New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for an in-studio interview that covers DiNapoli's longtime role as a trusted friend of UUP and organized labor.  In 2024, UUP honored Tom with our Friend of SUNY award, which recognizes distinguished service to SUNY and the progressive development of public higher education in our state.  Kowal and DiNapoli also t...

Our guest on The Voice Podcast is Congressman Paul Tonko , a Democrat who represents New York's 20th Congressional District.  A longtime state Assembly member who was elected to Congress in 2008, Tonko has been a fighter for his constituents, for higher education and for organized labor.  He's come out against the war in Iran , calling it reckless and unjustified. He's also called f...

In this episode of The Voice Podcast, UUP President Fred Kowal talks with National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Collin O'Mara . Kowal, who hosts the podcast, is chair of the NWF's board of directors.  O'Mara discusses how he became the NWF's president and CEO and what led him to the post. He and Kowal talk about the intricacies of navigating political channels to prote...

People are really important to Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado.  As a member of Congress representing District 19—a vastly rural 8,000-mile district spanning 11 counties—the lieutenant governor held dozens of in-person and virtual town hall meetings during his two terms as a House member, reaching out to thousands of his constituents.  His dedication to his job and the people—again that word—h...

New York AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento talks about his role in leading one of the most powerful state federations in the country on the latest episode of The Voice Podcast.  Cilento and UUP President Fred Kowal, the podcast’s host, talk about Cilento's role in making the state AFL-CIO into a year-round legislative action network that has only grown stronger since he became president in 2011...

NYPIRG Executive Director Blair Horne r is never at a loss for words when it comes to protecting the public’s right to know—and to act.  In his more than 40 years as NYPIRG’s legislative director—and later as its executive director—Blair has advocated for a wide range of important issues, including energy reform, government openness, ethics and accountability, campaign finance reform, the environm...

Somehow, diversity, equity and inclusion is under attack.   Pushed by a small but very vocal group of right-wing conservatives, attacks on DEI have escalated over recent months as they have been embraced by powerful Republican politicians. And more than a few have been directed at public higher education. In Texas, the Republican-led Legislature voted in late May to ban offices, programs and initi...

On this episode of The Voice Podcast, UUP president and host Fred Kowal talks state and national politics with Liz Benjamin , the former host of Spectrum News's statewide political program “Capital Tonight." Benjamin, who spent 15 years as a hard-hitting political print reporter and columnist for the Albany Times Union and the New York Daily News, moved to Spectrum in 2010. In 2019, she...

On this episode of The Voice, UUP President Fred Kowal talks with former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy , who for decades has been a champion for mental health equity and combatting substance abuse—and is recognized as one of the nation's most respected voices on mental health equity, parity, addiction and recovery. Kennedy—the son of Sen. Ted Kennedy and nephew of President John...

Central Brooklyn is the epicenter of New York City’s maternal health crisis—and has been for far too long. The community, home to Brooklyn’s only public teaching hospital, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, has the highest rates of severe maternal morbidity in the state.  Longtime UUP leader Rowena Blackman-Stroud , who died in December 2022,  was dedicated to protecting the rights of ever...

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released her 2023-2024 Executive Budget proposal Feb. 1, which officially kicked off what’s known as budget season in Albany.  In this podcast, Fred Kowal, UUP's president and podcast host, talks about the governor’s proposed spending plan, her 2023 State of The State address , and how SUNY and public higher education could fare in next year’s state budget with two...

In this episode of The Voice podcast, host and UUP President Fred Kowal talks about the American Labor Studies Center and its connection to female union trailblazer Kate Mullany with ALSC Executive Director Paul Cole and Jolene DiBrango, the chair of the ALSC’s Board of Directors and executive vice president of the New York State United Teachers. Located in Troy,  New York, the ALSC works to promo...

In 2007, Congress enacted the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program as a way to attract talented professionals to careers in public service. Under the program, borrowers who work in nonprofit or government jobs for 10 years or more and meet other program requirements can get their remaining federal student loans forgiven.   Sound simple? Navigating the PSLF program has been anything but easy. Co...

From finding new homes for desks and other surplus items at SUNY to electric cars, New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and the federal Inflation Reduction Act, this episode of The Voice podcast is fully focused on the environment.  Host Fred Kowal discusses the landmark Inflation Reduction Act and the positive impact it can have on the environment and how it advances environ...

On this episode of The Voice, UUP president and host Fred Kowal discusses steps being taken to preserve and guarantee abortion rights in New York state just weeks after the  U.S. Supreme Court's June decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization .  The court's 6-3 ruling nullified the landmark Roe v. Wade decision of  1973, which recognized abortion as a constitutional right. ...

From gun safety reform and protecting students and teachers in the classroom to women’s reproductive rights, public health care, and the environment, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten speaks truth to power. She doesn't pull punches and isn't afraid to say what needs to be said on these and other important topics.  On this episode of The Voice, Randi offers some p...

In this episode of The Voice podcast, host and UUP President Fred Kowal speaks with three leaders of Buffalo's Black community about systemic racism in Buffalo and the impact of the racially motivated May 14 mass shooting in Buffalo that killed 10 people, all of whom were Black, and wounded three others. Our guests are:  Janique Curry , vice president of the Buffalo chapter of the National Ac...

Welcome to The Voice Podcast, the official podcast of United University Professions, the nation's largest higher education union.  In our debut podcast, UUP President Fred Kowal talks with past UUP President Nuala McGann Drescher. McGann Drescher, who served from 1981 through 1987, is the union's first woman president.  A Distinguished Service Professor Emerita at the State University of...