Joseph Waddy
Joe Waddy began his career at Dan’s Supreme Key Food in 1988 at the age of 16. He was a part-time grocery clerk for five years and then was promoted to full-time in 1993. In May of 1998 Joe joined the Local 1500 staff as a Membership Servicing Representative, ensuring that both daytime and evening members alike saw a Representative of the Union on a daily basis.
In 2003, Joe was reassigned to the position of Union Representative. Since then he’s represented Local 1500 throughout NYC’s five boroughs, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. In May of 2016, Joe was appointed Assistant to the President, where he is responsible for the inner workings of the President’s office. His duties include overseeing the Senior Director, Field Director, and the Servicing Field Staff, and is also the Collective Bargaining Representative for the Local.
In May of 2016, Joe was elected as Vice President on the Local 1500 Executive Board. He has been a delegate to the NYC Central Labor Council, Westchester/Putnam Central Labor Body and is currently serving as a delegate to the Long Island Federation of Labor. His dedication to the labor movement has helped him excel at serving Local 1500 members. Joe also serves as a trustee on Local 1500’s Welfare Fund. On November 8th, 2019, Mr. Waddy was appointed to the position of Executive Vice President.
Joe was married to Aly in 2005. They have two children, Kiana and Jaden. Joe is a native New Yorker, being born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, and now residing in Suffolk County with his family. Among his passions are exotic automobiles and road cycling. He also enjoys making his wife coffee every morning.
Paul Santarpia
Paul Santarpia was appointed Director of Operations by President Robert Newell in October of 2021. He started his career as a UFCW Local 1500 member in the early 1980’s as a part time cashier at Pathmark on Staten Island, Amboy Rd. store #681. After working a year on the job he was promoted to full time and transferred to Pathmark New Dorp #683.
In New Dorp, Paul worked as a front end back up Mgr., Dairy Clerk and Produce clerk. In 1991 Paul served on the contract negotiation committee. Later that year Paul was hired by Local 1500 to be a Membership Servicing Representative. As a membership servicing representative he was able to see all Local 1500 members working on different shifts. One year later, Paul was promoted to Union Representative in January of 1993.
Paul’s first area as a representative was lower Westchester, Dutchess, and Bradlee’s in Rockland county. He serviced this area for one year. After that Paul had serviced the areas of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. He spent most of his career as Union Representative in the Brooklyn area, where he served members for 15 years. In 1999 Paul was made a Vice President on the Local 1500 Executive Board. He was promoted to Field Director in May 2016. He now serves as the Director Of Operations for Local 1500.
Paul is married and has two daughters and enjoys watching NFL Football.
Aly Y. Waddy
Secretary-Treasurer, Aly Y. Waddy began her career working as a PT deli clerk for Dan’s Supreme Key Food in Queens, NY in 1998. She rose through the ranks from Part Time to Full Time and finally to Deli Manager. In June of 1999 Aly left Dan’s and came to work for Local 1500 as an Organizer. In her new position Aly will work directly with President Newell and the rest of the Executive staff daily to ensure that the hardworking women and men of Local 1500 are protected in their workplace.
In June of 1999 Aly began working for UFCW Local 1500 as a field Organizer. She worked on numerous campaigns concentrating on retail organizing and worked to level the playing field and protect Union jobs. Aly has served in various leadership positions at the local, including Lead Organizer, Assistant Director of Organizing, Director of Organizing, Director of Special Projects and Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer. In April of 2017, Ms. Waddy was unanimously voted onto the UFCW Local 1500 Executive Board as a Vice President. In January of 2018, Aly was appointed as a Trustee on the Local 1500 Pension Fund. Aly’s tireless efforts, dedication to the membership and ability to react quickly in every circumstance has led her to climb the ranks of Local 1500. In December of 2019, Ms. Waddy was elected as the first ever female Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW Local 1500.
President Newell said, “I couldn’t be prouder of Aly. Her accomplishments have always been based on her hard work, her refusal to accept less than excellence and her one-on-one connection with the membership of our great Union. The opportunity to work with her is an absolute pleasure for me and I know that with Aly in the position of Secretary-Treasurer we will continue to do great things for our members and the Local will be better prepared for anything that comes its way in the future.”
During her career, she has assisted workers throughout Local 1500’s jurisdiction to gain a better life by joining our Union. In June of 2011, Aly directed the first union election of its kind when she filed at the NLRB to represent workers from the Target store in Valley Stream, NY. The Target campaign was featured on the front page of multiple national publications like the New York Times, The Huffington Post, Star Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal just to name a few. Almost 3 years later, in March of 2014, a book was written about the Labor movement titled “New labor in NY: Precarious Workers and the Future of the Labor Movement”, where the Target campaign is featured as a portrayal of the extraordinary efforts to expand the movement from the local to the national scale. Ms. Waddy has also been invited to lecture students at Hofstra University to discuss the challenges that workers face in today’s retail environment, especially while working for a large anti-union employer like Target. In October 2016, Aly successfully directed the campaign to organize the workers at Hale & Hearty’s Commissary in Brooklyn, N.Y. Through her leadership and the hard work and dedication of her team, the workers at Hale & Hearty won their NLRB election by a landslide and are currently working under the protection of their first Union contract. Aly has participated in successfully bargaining several contracts, like Hale & Hearty and Pick Quick Key Food. Aly’s presence and ability were immediately felt at the bargaining table during the Pick Quick Key Food negotiations. “We couldn’t have reached a positive resolution without her there. Aly worked very hard alongside Executive Vice President & Recorder Joe Waddy and President Newell to make that deal happen.”
Ms. Waddy has represented Local 1500 on the Working Families Advisory Council, as delegate to the NYC Central Labor Council, and is currently serving as a delegate to the Long Island Federation of Labor. She is also a member of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA).
In March of 2016, Ms. Waddy was recognized for her achievements in the Labor movement, receiving a Citation of Merit from Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr. In May of 2018, Aly was recognized for her leadership and was awarded recognitions from NYS Senator Michael Gianaris, NYS Assembly member Aravella Simotas, NYC Council member Costa Constantinides and Congress member Carolyn Maloney. In February of 2019, Ms. Waddy was appointed to serve on the 2019 UFCW International Advisory Committee.
Aly was born in El Salvador and immigrated with her family to Queens, N.Y. where she grew up. She currently resides in Suffolk County with her husband Joe, daughter Kiana, and son Jaden. She loves to stay active, she has participated in events like the Run for the Warriors and the 5 Boro Bike Tour. She enjoys cooking and baking for family and friends.
Robert Newell, Jr.
President Newell began his career as a UFCW Local 1500 member in July 1990, working part-time, as a cart clerk at the former Pathmark store, in Bay Shore, NY. Since joining the union staff in 1995, Rob has worked through nearly every department of the union. As an Organizer, Rob worked as a salt and played a significant role in successfully organizing Wild by Nature, an organic food chain, owned by King Kullen, currently with 5 locations on Long Island. Rob then spent a little over a year as a Membership Servicing Rep and in January 1998 he promoted to Union Representative. In his 11 years as a Union Rep Rob helped to protect and serve our members in the areas of Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan and both Nassau and Suffolk Counties. No matter what area he serviced, Rob’s members and Stewards were always tasked to be involved in Organizing Drives, fundraising and political assignments.
In October of 2009, Rob was appointed to Field Director, overseeing the Union Representatives of UFCW Local 1500. In June of 2013, he was unanimously voted onto the UFCW Local 1500 Executive Board as a Vice President. In October 2013, Rob was promoted to become the Assistant to the President. Rob has been actively involved in contract negotiations since 2006 and has been the lead negotiator for the Stop & Shop and Fairway contracts for many years. He has been a Pension & Welfare Trustee since 2007 and in January of 2014 he was elected Plan Manager of the UFCW Local 1500 Legal Service Fund.
On May 11, 2016, the UFCW Local 1500 Executive Board elected Rob Secretary-Treasurer. As the Secretary-Treasurer Rob negotiated dozens of contracts, emphasized long-range vision, renegotiated all of the Local Union’s vendor contracts, moved the Union much closer to operating paperless, developed policy, lead proactively and focused on key financial issues that will help guide Local 1500 long into the future.
On November 8th, in accordance with the Local Union bylaws, Rob assumed the duties of the President following the resignation of former President Anthony G. Speelman. Rob was unanimously elected President by the Executive Board on December 11th, 2019 and had his first chance to address the membership of this great Local Union later that evening at the General Membership Meeting. “I will do everything in my power to lead this Local Union in the spirit of both Frank Meehan and Tony Speelman. I take the responsibility given to me very seriously and will stop at nothing to continue to better the wages, working conditions and benefit packages of all of Local 1500’s members. This is a dream come true for me and I am truly honored and humbled by the opportunity.”
Rob graduated in 1991 from St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington and in 1995 from St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue, NY, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and minored in Criminal Justice and Applied Sociology. He currently resides in Suffolk County, NY, has one daughter, Aly Rose, and is an avid New York Rangers and Houston Texans Fan.