named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine (COEM)
Provides specialized medical services for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of occupational diseases and injuries
Concerted Activity Education Program
Provides multilingual educational materials and outreach to inform workers about their legal rights to engage in collective workplace advocacy
Safe Patient Handling Zero Lift Task Force
Statewide initiative to reduce ergonomic injuries in healthcare through policy advocacy, training, and implementation of safe patient handling programs; led to passage of NYS Safe Patient Handling Law
Safety Over Slurpees Campaign
Advocacy campaign launched with 7-Eleven workers to improve safety and working conditions in retail settings following worker assaults
Tools for Schools
Program to help school districts identify and resolve indoor air quality and environmental health issues in schools
WNYCOSH Worker Center
Provides direct support to workers to understand their rights, report unsafe conditions, and advocate for better working conditions; opened in 2011
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Advocacy for Worker Health and Leave Policies 3 activities
- Advocates for policy reform in workers' compensation and occupational safetyFormed the Worker Comp Reform Coalition to advocate for seven reforms to the NYS workers' compensation system. Successfully lobbied for Toxic Torts Legislation allowing time-barred claims related to hazardous exposures like asbestos.
- Advocates for right-to-know laws and chemical safety in workplacesOrganized a statewide campaign with COSH groups and unions to advocate for Right to Know legislation granting workers access to information about toxic chemicals in their workplaces.
- Leads advocacy campaigns for safe patient handling and ergonomic safetyHelped form the NYS Zero Lift Task Force and led advocacy efforts with COSH groups and unions to pass the NYS Safe Patient Handling Law, aimed at reducing ergonomic injuries among healthcare workers and improving patient care.
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Worker Rights Advocacy & Wage Protection 2 activities
- Operates a Worker Center and multilingual hotline for worker supportOperates the WNYCOSH Worker Center and a multilingual hotline (available in 14 languages) to assist workers with wage theft, unsafe working conditions, discrimination, harassment, and other workplace issues. Provides education on workers’ rights and support for collective organizing.
- Supports worker organizing and publishes educational materials on labor rightsProvides resources and support for workers to collectively organize around workplace issues. Produces and distributes multilingual fliers and guides on concerted activity rights and workers’ rights.
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Union Member Training & Leadership Development 1 activity
- Builds capacity through union membership and institutional collaborationsOffers union locals membership with delegate representation at WNYCOSH meetings. Organized the Workers’ Occupational Health Consortium (WOHC) to deliver training and technical assistance on occupational health across Western New York.
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Biomedical Research and Innovation 1 activity
- Conducts research on occupational diseases and injuriesConducts clinical and statistical research on occupational chronic diseases and injuries in Western New York to inform prevention and treatment. Hosted conferences with institutions like Roswell Park and Cornell University ILR School to address reproductive hazards and the role of occupational clinics in workplace safety.
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Toxic Chemicals and Plastics Reform 1 activity
- Organizes public conferences and coalitions on occupational and environmental healthOrganized founding and major conferences on toxic exposures at Love Canal and Goodyear, asbestos exposure, pesticide use, and corporate accountability. Partnered with labor, environmental, religious, and academic groups to raise awareness and drive action.
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Pro Bono Legal Representation and Support 1 activity
- Provides legal assistance and free legal clinics for workersOffers free legal clinics and direct legal support through collaboration with the Western New York Law Center and the CLARO program, assisting workers with wage theft, discrimination, unsafe conditions, and debt-related legal issues including collections, garnishments, and foreclosures.
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Uncategorized 6 activities
- Champions broader labor, trade, and health care justice initiativesPlayed leading roles in opposing NAFTA due to anti-worker provisions, advocating for the Comprehensive Occupational Safety & Health Act, supporting the UFW grape boycott to reduce pesticide exposure, and campaigning for a single-payer health care system.
- Co-founded and operates an occupational health clinicCo-founded and helped establish the Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine (COEM), Western New York’s first occupational health clinic, which provides specialized diagnosis, treatment, and prevention services for work-related injuries and illnesses.
- Develops and supports occupational health training infrastructureHelped establish the NYS Hazard Abatement Board OSH Training & Education Program, a dedicated funding source for occupational safety training. Dedicated the Norm Harper Occupational Health Training Center and participated in launching the UB Safe Patient Handling Lab and Training Center.
- Implements school-based environmental health programsEstablished the “Tools for Schools” program to help school districts identify and resolve indoor air quality issues in educational facilities.
- Provides occupational safety training to workersDelivers direct training to thousands of workers—including low-wage, immigrant, refugee, and high-hazard industry workers—on hazard identification, OSHA standards, chemical and physical hazards, workplace violence, and safe patient handling. Training includes hands-on labs and multilingual materials.
- Trains youth organizers and advances sweatshop-free initiativesFounded the WNY Sweatshop Awareness Project (WNYSAP) in collaboration with CEJ to train youth organizers and advance the Sweatfree Schools Initiative to combat exploitative labor practices.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$653K
Contributions & grants$653K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$50%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$762K
Program expenses65%
Admin / overhead35%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$641K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$239K
Cash$99K
Investments$0
Liabilities$246K
Net assets$-7K
Liquid reserves1.6 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -7.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BRIAN BROWN-CASHDOLLAR | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $102K |
board members · 8
- DIANE BARTH — BOARD MEMBER
- ELAINE LASKOWSKI — BOARD MEMBER
- GREGORY STONER — BOARD MEMBER
- ILLA CAIRA — BOARD MEMBER
- JENNIFER HOGUE — BOARD MEMBER
- JOHN BEIGER — BOARD MEMBER
- LORI ABBOTT — BOARD MEMBER
- SUSAN WOODS — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 36
Who they work with
- Buffalo PreNatal Perinatal Network Partner — Organization led by board member LuAnne Brown, who serves as Secretary/Treasurer on WNYCOSH board
- CEJ Partner — Collaborated with WNYCOSH to found the WNY Sweatshop Awareness Project.
- CSEA Partner — Organization represented by Illa Caira, OSH Specialist, on WNYCOSH board
- CWA 1133 Coalition — Represented on WNYCOSH board of directors and holds Secretary/Treasurer role
- CWA health care unions Partner — Coalition partner in the 1992–1994 WNY Health Care Campaign for single-payer health care.
- Center for Occupational and Environmental Medical Partner — Organization represented by board member Elaine Laskowski on WNYCOSH board
- Chemical Hazard Information Program-NYSSILR Cornell Partner — Member of the Workers’ Occupational Health Consortium providing expertise on chemical hazards.
- Citizen Action Partner — Formed a coalition with WNYCOSH to advocate for a single-payer health care system.
- Coalition for Economic Justice Partner — Collaborative coalition built with WNYCOSH to advance labor and workplace safety standards.
- Communication Workers of America 1168 Coalition — Member of WNYCOSH board of directors
- Cornell Adjunct Faculty Alliance Partner — Organization represented by board member Susan Woods on WNYCOSH board
- Cornell University ILR School Partner — Co-hosted a conference on reproductive hazards in the workplace.
- Division of Human Rights Government — Referred resource for certain workplace complaints under New York state law
- Elton Neves Partner — Program Director at WNYCOSH who coordinates workplace violence training sign-ups and inquiries.
- IUPAT, DC4 Coalition — Union represented by retired member Gregory Stoner on WNYCOSH board
- Kaleida Health Partner — Member of the NYS Zero Lift Task Force to address ergonomic injuries in health care.
- March of Dimes Partner — Co-hosted a conference on reproductive hazards in the workplace.
- NYS Department of Labor Government — Member of the NYS Zero Lift Task Force to advance safe patient handling policies.
- NYS Dept. of Labor Government — Referred resource for state-level labor complaints
- NYS Labor-Environment Network Partner — Collaborative coalition built with WNYCOSH to advance labor and workplace safety standards.
- NYS Zero Lift Task Force Partner — Collaborative coalition built with WNYCOSH to advance labor and workplace safety standards.
- National Labor Relations Board Government — Referred resource for filing labor rights violations
- OSHA-Environmental Network Partner — Collaborative coalition built with WNYCOSH to advance labor and workplace safety standards.
- Physicians for a National Health Program Partner — Partnered through Dr. Deborah Richter to advocate for single-payer health care reform.
- Rochester Regional Health Partner — Co-hosts the Annual Safe Patient Handling Conference with WNYCOSH
- Roswell Park Partner — Co-hosted conferences on occupational clinics and reproductive hazards in the workplace.
- SUNYAB Toxicology Research Center Partner — Partnered on conferences and the Workers’ Occupational Health Consortium to address toxicological and occupational health issues.
- Teamsters Local 264 Coalition — Member of WNYCOSH board of directors
- UAW Region 9 Partner — Member of the Workers’ Occupational Health Consortium providing labor representation and outreach.
- Union Health Care Coop Partner — Collaborated on the Workers’ Occupational Health Consortium and co-founded the Union Health Care Co-Op.
+ 6 more
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Context-Specific Risk Mitigationmethodology: worksite-specific risk assessmentBy conducting worksite-specific risk assessments that incorporate incident history, operational features, and worker input, we design more effective and adopted safety interventions because one-size-fits-all approaches fail to account for real-world variability in hazard exposure.
- Labor Partnership & Worker-Led Organizing Modelmethodology: worker-led organizingBy partnering with unions and creating space for worker-led organizing, we amplify collective advocacy for systemic change in occupational safety, because institutionalized labor representation increases sustainability and reach of safety improvements.
- Sustainable Safe Patient Handling Systemsmethodology: safe-patient-handlingBy replacing reliance on body mechanics with systematic Safe Patient Handling programs—including equipment guided by patient assessments, interdisciplinary committees, and institutional integration—we reduce injury risk because structural solutions are more effective and durable than individual behavioral changes.
- Worker-Centered Capacity Buildingmethodology: worker-centered trainingBy training workers directly and educating them on their legal rights, we increase their ability to identify and address workplace hazards and advocate collectively for safer conditions, because empowered workers are more likely to engage in prevention and sustain long-term change.