Our Labor Federation was officially
established in June of 2001. The Federation consists of
the 5 Western New York Central Labor
Councils, governed by 7 Officers, 25 Board Members from
affiliated Local Unions. The Five Councils
Included, are the Buffalo Labor Council
representing Erie County, the Niagara/Orleans Labor
Council representing all of Niagara County and the western
part of Orleans County, the Dunkirk, Jamestown, and the
Cattaraugus/Allegany Labor Council representing those two
Counties in the Southern Tier.
The total representation
of union members in these 5 councils are over 100,000
members from all walks of life. These Labor Councils have
always been involved in their communities but seldom
recognized for what they do as community minded citizens.
Labor unions have always been a big part of the community
structure but never asked for recognition they so richly
deserve. It is the goal of the New Labor Federation to
work hard at gaining not only the respect of the community
but to be recognized for the good deeds that they do. For
over 50 years the United Way and Labor have partnered to
help where help is needed the most right there in the
communities where Labor lives and works. Our annual giving
to United Way Campaigns are over half to sixty-five per
cent of the Annual United Way Campaigns in Western N.Y.
This continued giving has amounted to millions of dollars
over the years. Labor Unions continue to support other
charities as well as the United Way. We are involved in
the everyday needs of the community. This year alone, the
National Letter Carriers Union, Branch 3, supported by the
AFL/CIO and the communities, collected over 1 million
pounds of food in Western NY. This Annual Food Drive will
supply church food pantries, Agency food pantries, soup
kitchens and the Western NY Food Bank for well over two
months. This is one of the largest One-Day Food Drives in
the world and Buffalo and Western NY towns and villages
are number 3 in the nation for their gift of food. Since
1994 Labor unions, their members and retirees have been
supportive of this generous gift to the community