Denise Abbott Elected President of the Western New York Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO

Abbott, who serves as Health and Safety Director for CWA Local 1168 and is a Registered Nurse, will be the first woman to lead the labor organization.

BUFFALO, NY — On Thursday, July 17th, 2025, following the resignation of Peter De Jesús Jr., the Executive Council of the Western New York Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO unanimously elected Denise Abbott its newest president.

“I am truly humbled by the trust and support of the Federation’s Executive Council, and leading the WNY Labor Movement is an honor I am proud to take on in this historic moment. In America’s most union-dense region, we have an obligation to working people everywhere to fight for family-sustaining wages, stronger safety protections on the job, and the right of every worker to join a union without fear of retaliation,” said Abbott in her acceptance.

Abbott has served since January 2020 as President of the Buffalo Central Labor Council, the largest of the five local bodies that make up the Federation. She has been a registered nurse for more than 20 years in the emergency department at DeGraff Memorial Hospital, and serves as Health and Safety Director for Communication Workers of American (CWA) Local 1168, which represents nurses and other healthcare workers at medical facilities across WNY. Abbott will continue her union work and nursing while serving in her new role.

“My father worked at Westinghouse Electric, and he was a proudly outspoken member of former International Union of Electricians (IUE) Local 1581. He showed me what it means to fight for the collective good and the importance of solidarity within the union movement. In my own career, I’ve seen the life-changing power of unions to lift up families, protect workers, and fight back against corporate greed. At a time when workers are under constant attack and wealth inequality is at historic levels, I’m committed to organizing and mobilizing our members. The working class is fighting to fend off attacks meant to drag us backward, but we’re also working toward a shared vision of the respect, dignity, and prosperity we can create together,” said Abbott.

As a representative for organized labor on the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) board and Board Chair of the WNY Council on Occupational Safety and Health (WNYCOSH), Abbott brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Federation, and will seek to engage affiliated unions and community stakeholders on economic, social, and political issues affecting working people in WNY.

“My predecessors, Richard Lipsitz and Peter De Jesús Jr., paved new paths for this organization in their times, and I look forward to doing the same as the first woman to lead the Federation. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

The Western New York Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, represents approximately 140,000 union members across six counties and five Central Labor Councils. Our mission is to improve the lives and increase the power of working families, bring fairness and dignity to the workplace, and secure social equity. More information is available at WNYALF.org.

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