About this episode
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.