Kris LaGrange

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Kris LaGrange is radio and podcast host, editor in chief of UCOMMBlog.com, published columnist and union activist. He is the founder of UCOMM Media Group, a labor-focused union communications consulting service, as well as the host of UCOMM Live, a weekly labor focused podcast.

Early Life, Education and Career

Kris LaGrange was born in Syracuse New York on August 14 1977. After attending Solvay High School, LaGrange enrolled at SUNY-Cortland where he majored in Political Science with a minor in Theater. He pledged Delta Kappa Beta in 1996 and directed a one act play called Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets in 1998. Waiting for Lefty highlighted the NYC Cabbie Strikes of the 1930’s that exposed the infiltration of organized crime and communism into the union ranks. The timing of this play drew criticism from SUNY Cortland administration because of labor unrest at the college at that time. After being removed from Cortland disciplinary reasons, LaGrange transferred to SUNY Brockport outside of Rochester where he graduated in 1999 on the Dean’s List with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Communications. While attending Brockport, LaGrange ran for Town Council in the Town of Sweden on a minor third party line called the Community-Student Cooperation Party. Although he only received 91 votes, he received union endorsements from the United Food & Commercial Workers Local One and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 43.

After graduation, LaGrange’s organizational skills were noticed by the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) leading to an invitation to join the prestigious AFL-CIO Organizing Institute (OI) in Maryland, although he was quickly rejected. The OI directed LaGrange to Brooklyn to take an entry level position with the newly formed Working Families Party (WFP) where he would eventually move to Long Island, New York to work as an organizer. As the Long Island Organizer, LaGrange played a vital role in building union and community alliances in poor neighborhoods. After leaving the WFP, LaGrange took an organizing position with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Syracuse, New York. At SEIU LaGrange worked to help decertify corrupt company unions out of nursing homes. 

LaGrange would go on to work for local elected officials in Suffolk County. In 2002 he was hired as a Special Assistant to NYS Comptroller H. Carl McCall. In 2003 he took a position as the Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Phil Ramos in 6^th Assembly District, a newly created mostly Hispanic district. Ramos was Long Island’s first Hispanic elected official. After a falling out with Ramos, LaGrange went on to work for Suffolk County Executive hopeful Steve Levy. LaGrange organized Labor for Levy and was instrumental in developing a successful field operation for Levy’s successful campaign. In 2004, LaGrange held a County Executive Assistant position with the very controversial Levy that lasted less than a year. After his election, Levy quickly jumped on a nationalism agenda which demonized immigrants. LaGrange was vocal against deputizing police officers to enforce immigration law and strains between him and the County’s top brass forced an unexpected separation.

In 2005, LaGrange left the County Executive's Office and was hired by the recently trusteed Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO where he developed communications and political organizing. After helping the organization restructure, he was let go. He was hired by young labor leader Don Daley, a Business Manager with the now defunct International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1381.  There he crafted a communications product now popularly known as UCOMM.

In 2007 LaGrange officially formed UCOMM, a labor focused communications firm specializing in internal and external communications for local and international unions, labor council and federations. Working with dozens of local labor unions, labor federations and councils, he builds a robust internal communications structure that includes state of the art mobile friendly websites, internal membership emails, mass text messaging, writing, messages and campaign issue strategies. He also works with his clients to run cutting edge advertising campaigns that incorporate state of the art digital advertising trends using social networks, print media and audio messaging. Over 35 organizations are now part of the UCOMM Media Group which is based in Bay Shore, NY with a staff of 4 communications professionals.

UCOMM Radio

Through his work with local unions, policy makers, elected officials and journalist, it became clear that there was a need for a way to communicate labor issues to a larger audience. This sparked LaGrange to create UCOMM Radio. The weekly show began in 2011 and was broadcast on 94.3 FM on Long Island. In 2015 UCOMM Radio became syndicated on WABC 770 AM in New York City. Notable guests on the show included Maryland Governor and Presidential Candidate Martin O’Malley, Congressman Tim Bishop and influential labor leaders such as Chris Erikson from New York’s IBEW Local 3, Jorge Ramirez of the Chicago Federation of Labor and Rusty Hicks from the Los Angeles Federation of Labor. Co-hosts on the show included Jimmy Hyland, Don Dunn, Chris Erikson Jr, and Brian Schneck. In total, the show produced 223 episodes before it left the air in December of 2015.

In September of 2018, LaGrange re-launched UCOMM Radio, now titled UCOMM Live with Kris LaGrange, as a live podcast. The show is described as a fast and funny show about today's union news, politics, sports, and entertainment. The show features a rotating panel of guests as well as call-in guests.

Editor in Chief of UCOMM Blog

Following the end of UCOMM Radio, LaGrange designed and developed UCOMM Blog. While UCOMM Blog’s focus is labor and union issues, they have also begun covering politics, changes in the digital communications landscape, sports and pop culture.

Other Media

Due to the exposure from UCOMM Radio and UCOMM Blog, LaGrange has been an important guest on radio shows around the country, including The Rick Smith Show and America’s Workforce Radio. LaGrange also serves as a columnist for the Long Island Business News and gives frequent lecturer on union and communications topics. His work has also been published in newspapers including Labor Press, Newsday and The Buffalo News. In 2013, LaGrange MC’d the One Voice United Rally in Albany, New York in front of 15,000 teacher activist and in 2015, LaGrange delivered his famous “Suck It” speech in front of 20,000 striking Verizon workers.

Awards and Recognition

• Long Island Business News Excellence in Communications, Web Design
• 2017 NYSUT Communications Award - Best Website
• 2017 NYSUT Communications Award - Best Artwork
• 2017 NYSUT Communications Award - General Excellence, Newsletter
• Champion of Labor - Long Island Labor Advisory Council

References

This article "Kris LaGrange" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Kris LaGrange. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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