Buffalo, NY – Grace Bogdanove, who serves as 1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers East Vice President for Western New York’s Nursing Homes, has been unanimously elected President of the Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council.
“It’s an ‘opportunity for me to give back’ to the Labor Community,” Bogdanove, 29, told WNYLaborToday.com after her swearing-in ceremony that was held last week during the Labor Council’s monthly meeting. “Democracy is ‘under attack like never before’ by the current (Trump) Administration and – ‘in great part, it is up to the Labor Movement to protect our Democracy.’ I’m ‘excited’ to get with our (Union) Affiliates, Union Members and Staff ‘in order to develop a greater understanding (of how the Union Movement can) fight back.’
The Buffalo AFL-CIO Council represents 90,000 Workers through its Affiliated Member Unions. Bogdanove, who was appointed to her latest SEIU position back in April 2021, has been honored in the past as one of the Top 40 Young Labor Leaders in City & State’s Labor 40 Under 40 list, which highlights rising stars in Organized Labor across the State of New York.
She had moved back to Buffalo a few years ago from North Country where she was 1199 SEIU Vice President, representing both Hospital and Nursing Home Workers.
1199 SEIU is the largest Health Care Workers Union in the country, representing more than 350,000 Nursing Home, Home Care and Hospital Workers. The Upstate/Western New York Division has nearly 23,000 Members with offices in Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester and Governor. Bogdanove received a Labor Degree from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations several years ago.
Bogdanove told WNYLaborToday.com she is “excited” to work with the Council’s many Affiliated Unions in the Public and Private Sectors, as well as those in the Building Trades: “We are going to start monthly education and training sessions, including those involving dealing with grievance charges and running organizing campaigns, as well as addressing legislation and ‘how it has affected different’ Unions. We’ll build a program out and address the way we can ‘effectively mobilize and better support our entire’ community.”
