The Voice Podcast

United University Professions

The Voice is the official podcast of United University Professions, America's largest higher education union. We spotlight our hard-working members, and issues that are important to them and others who believe in a strong effective union. 

  1. Oct 10

    Gendebien gets it: A conversation with 21st Congressional District candidate Blake Gendebien

    Blake Gendebien is a North Country dairy farmer—which means he knows what it’s like to put in a full day’s work.  Gendebien owns Twin Mill Farm, an 1,100-acre dairy farm in Lisbon, St. Lawrence County, that he purchased with his wife, Carmen, in 2003. He merged the farm with his family’s farm, which his parents bought in 1972.  Now, the 49-year-old farmer wants to take his North Country work ethic to Washington.  Gendebien, a Democrat, is running for Congress in the ruby red 21st congressional district, where Republicans hold an 81,000 voter enrollment advantage. Elise Stefanik, a Republican in her sixth term, easily won the last six elections for the seat. She’s not running this year.  And that’s not the only thing that’s different this time.  Trump’s job approval rating has fallen to historic lows. Gendebien’s opponent, Republican sticker maker Anthony Constantino, is a Trump clone, a fanatic MAGA supporter and, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, a “uniquely polarizing figure.”   In October 2024, Constantino erected a massive lighted Vote For Trump sign on top of his Amsterdam sticker factory. He released a rap album called “Thank You President Trump” in December 2025 and commissioned a $250,000 statue of Trump that he gifted to the president in July. On Labor Day, Constanino, who is anti-union, marched uninvited with a United Steelworkers local in the Massena Labor Day parade to get photos with union members—and use them to win union votes.  Trump’s unpopularity and Constantino’s buffoonery have opened the door for Gendebien, who would make national news if he wins in November.  And he’s got a real shot.  In late September, Cook Political Report moved the race designation from solid Republican to likely Republican, for the first time since 2018. Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a political polling site run by the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, moved the race from safely Republican to likely Republican. And an Oct. 9 Siena Research Institute poll showed Gendebien up by 4 percentage points; 21% of Republicans polled in the survey said they would vote for Gendebien.  Democrats’ confidence in Gendebien is increasing as well. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just added the 21st District race to their “Red to Blue” program, a list of highly competitive races that that Democrats believe they have a real shot at winning.  Voice host and UUP President Fred Kowal talks with Blake Gendebien about his election chances and what he’ll do if he’s elected to represent the 21st Congressional District.  In Labor Lookback, Mike Lisi takes a look back at the advent of sound movies, or talkies, and how the switchover from silent films impacted union musicians.  Songs:  "You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet" - Al Jolsen"Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo'bye)- Al Jolsen In Kowal's Coda, Kowal recommends listeners read the October issue of The Atlantic.

  2. Jul 9

    A Conversation with Congressman Tim Kennedy

    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 blind, disabled Burmese refugee, was left by Customs and Border Patrol agents at a closed Buffalo coffee without shoes on a frigid February night after being detained. He died of hypothermia and dehydration days later. In May, Kennedy joined Congressmember Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Buffalo to call for passage of three bills that would provide more funding for cancer research, screening, education and prevention.  Kennedy was outspoken in calling for the removal of ousted Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem for the cruel, violent and often unconstitutional immigration sweeps that took place across the country under her watch. Kennedy was one of Noem’s most vocal critics on the House Committee on Homeland Security. He also took aim at ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi, leading a coalition of Democrats to stop Bondi and DOGE from weakening the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and loosen crucial federal gun regulations.  In Labor Lookback, Mike Lisi chronicle the history of Chicago's WCFL-AM radio station, the first and longest-running union-owned and union-operated station in the country. The station, owned by the Chicago Federation of Labor, debuted in 1926 and was sold in 1978.  In Kowal's Coda, Fred spotlights three books he's reading. They are: "Razorblade Tears" by S.A. Cosby; "Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution" by Mike Duncan; and "Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy" by Congressman Jamie Raskin.

  3. May 27

    Talking union contracts: The struggles, strategies and success stories of UUP collective bargaining

    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, UUP has achieved many gains through collective bargaining, from securing health care benefits and per-course minimum pay for part-time employees to annual across-the-board salary increases for our members and everyone we represent in our bargaining unit.  In our current contract, which expires July 1, we negotiated to have New York’s Paid Parental Leave—up to 12 weeks of guaranteed, fully paid leave following the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child—added to our agreement with the state. We also established 7-year and 12-year retention awards based on an employee’s length of service—a UUP goal for decades.  We also maintained our health benefits package with no increases in copays or employee share of premiums.  These gains were not easily gotten. They never are.  In this episode of The Voice Podcast, host Fred Kowal--who's also UUP's statewide president--talks to three people who were at the table to negotiate UUP's last three contracts with the state of New York.  They are:  Former statewide Vice President for Academics Jamie Dangler, chief negotiator for our 2011-2016 contract, easily one of UUP’s most difficult contracts to negotiate.  Elizabeth Hough, UUP’s former counsel to the president, who was at the table for two UUP contracts, the 2016-2022 agreement and the union's current 2022-2026 contract, which expires July 1. UUP Chief Negotiator Bret Benjamin served on UUP's Negotiations Team for the 2016-22 agreement and was chief negotiator for our current contract. He's also chief negotiator for a new contract we’re negotiating with the state. In Labor Lookback, Mike Lisi explores the impact President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration had on workers and the entire country during the Great Depression. He also looks at the life of folk icon Pete Seeger, a longtime union supporter.  Kowal discusses the brings home the importance of collective bargaining to unions in Kowal's Coda.  Music used in this podcast:  "It's Got to be Love" - Henry King & His Orchestra with vocal by Joseph Sudy   "Solidarity Forever" - Pete Seeger

  4. Apr 4

    A Conversation with New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli

    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 talk about DiNapoli's political career, his strong support of SUNY and public higher education, his handling of the state's pension plan and his upcoming contested reelection bid in November.  In Labor Lookback, episode producer Mike Lisi goes back in time to revisit the  1937 Detroit Woolworth's sit-down strike and provides an entertaining history of labor's favorite rodent, Scabby the Rat.  Special thanks to The Workers' Mic podcast, which interviewed Scabby's creator, Jim Sweeney, in 2024; and to Albany NY pop band C. Jane Run, which allowed us to use part of their song "Standby."  In Kowal's Coda, Kowal discusses two books that's he's reading, Ian Toll's "Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945" and SUNY College of Environmental Science Professor Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass."

  5. Mar 6

    A Conversation with Congressman Paul Tonko

    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 for the abolition of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, citing the death and destruction the agency has caused under President Trump’s cruel immigration crackdown and the fatal shootings of two Minneapolis protesters—both U.S. citizens—by federal agents.  As the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Tonko blasted the administration for its Feb. 12 decision to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s “endangerment finding,” a long-standing, scientifically proven conclusion that greenhouse gases are dangerous to humans and the planet. He stood with United University Professions in our fight against the Trump administration’s drastic 2025 cuts to federal research funding. In February 2025, Tonko joined with three other New York House Democrats to criticize the National Institutes of Health for drastically reducing grant funding for indirect costs.  In our Lookback segment, Mike Lisi remembers the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire which took place on March 25, 1911 and the quirky, nearly two-month strike of San Francisco's KMPX-FM, America's first underground rock station, which started March 18, 1968.  In Kowal's Coda, The Voice Podcast host Fred Kowal provides commentary on the war in Iran and why the this chaotic action - which came without a declaration of war by Congress - has occurred.   Links to music from this episode:  Metropolitan Klesmer: "Die Fire Korbunes (The Fire's Sacrifices)" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6OP6GRkSNo Ace of Cups: "Feel Good" -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KqPCFw-VHQ

  6. 09/30/2025

    A Conversation with National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Collin O'Mara

    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 protect and preserve the nationwide organization's conservation efforts and move its agenda forward.  They talk about organized labor's role in conservation and enviromental efforts and discuss the NWF's collaboration with unions and union organizations, including the Blue Green Alliance.  O'Mara also strongly supports UUP's fight against proposed SUNY cuts to faculty and staff and important environmental, conservation and forestry programs and facilities at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The following are O'Mara's quotes regarding SUNY ESF:  "Yeah, I mean, you know, you're getting me fired up on this one, because I sort of revere ESF, like, I mean, it's the best public school, you know, environmental program in the country, and not put on par with anybody. You know. It's absolutely, bar none.""We need leaders in from ESF in every agency in state government and every agency in federal government. And so the idea of contracting right now, especially as the state is trying to argue that its a leader on cutting climate action, and given some of the other things that have happened last few years, you can't win the future unless you have the talent to actually be there to meet the moment in the future right now.""And we're seeing this across the board, right? We're seeing the disinvestment in public institutions, you know, across the country, and it's not specific to New York. But of all the areas to disinvest and not invest in, the folks that are gonna help solve the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis in this moment and also create the jobs and the opportunities of the future is just absolutely ludricrous."O'Mara became the National Wildlife Federation’s president and CEO in 2014, overseeing America’s largest wildlife conservation organization, with 52 state and territorial affiliates and more than 6 million members and supporters. Founded in 1936, the organization is one of the nation’s most influential conservation groups.  It also publishes the beloved “Ranger Rick” magazine, which O’Mara read as a child and says spurred his lifelong interest in conservation and protecting the environment. From serving as captain of his high school baseball team to running for governor in Delaware in 2024, O’Mara’s rise has been swift and sure. And he’s showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

  7. 02/12/2025

    A conversation with New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado

    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—he represents hasn’t wavered as the state’s second-in-command. Appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in May 2022, he won his first four-year term as lieutenant governor in November.  But unlike many of his predecessors, the lieutenant governor hasn’t always toed the line set by his party—or by his boss.  In December, he said this to the New York Times: “Being willing to speak your mind, being willing to say what you believe, even if it’s not always in lock step with whatever your party might say, makes it clear that you are only beholden to the people.” On this episode of The Voice Podcast, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado talks about his remarkable successes he's achieved—as a star athlete, a rapper, a Harvard-educated attorney, a member of Congress and as New York's lieutenant governor.  He talks about the challenges he's faced in Congress and shares his thoughts on what it was like to be in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, when the Capitol was attacked by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump.  He also talks about strong desire to serve in public office and to do what's right for the people of New York—even if it means upsetting the powers that be along the way.

  8. 10/18/2024

    A conversation with New York AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento

    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. The NYS AFL-CIO represents more than 2.2 million members across the state in both public and private sectors.      They also discuss the November 2024 presidential election and the state AFL-CIO's role in helping Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats running for Congress and state office win their races.     A new segment, Labor Lookback, spotlights important milestones in labor history. In this episode, Labor Lookback highlights songwriter and political activist Joe Hill, the House Un-American Activities Committee's 1947 hearings on alleged Communist influence in Hollywood’s film industry and singer/songwriter Merle Travis, who wrote the smash working man's hit "Sixteen Tons."     In his Kowal's Coda segment, Kowal questions why MAGA supporters have the temerity to call themselves patriots when they—and their leader, Donald Trump—   are anything but.

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About

The Voice is the official podcast of United University Professions, America's largest higher education union. We spotlight our hard-working members, and issues that are important to them and others who believe in a strong effective union. 

Information

  • Creator
    United University Professions
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 United University Professions - The Voice
  • Show Website
    The Voice Podcast