Supporting Labor-Affiliated Organizations

Labor-affiliated organizations and funds face unique financial challenges—the regulation and oversight of the U.S. Department of Labor and other agencies, considerations of union stakeholders and political and media scrutiny. Negotiating these issues requires careful consideration and expertise. Lakewood Advisors’ Senior Advisor for Public Policy, Damon Silvers and Managing Director, Edward Grebow have extensive experience supporting many types of enterprises in these areas. They led successful turnarounds of the two largest financial institutions owned by organized labor when these companies ran into serious financial difficulties.

• ULLICO
  In 2003, union-owned insurance company ULLICO became the subject of Congressional and criminal investigations. It was under scrutiny from regulatory and rating agencies and approaching insolvency.  Ed Grebow was appointed President of Ullico and Damon Silvers became Senior Counsel. Together, they resolved the investigations and regulatory issues and recapitalized the company. Today, Ullico is a thriving insurance company serving unions and union-affiliated benefit plans.
• Amalgamated Bank
  Another union-affiliated entity, Amalgamated Bank, turned to Ed Grebow in 2011, when faced with FDIC takeover because of problematic loans made during the period leading up to the financial crisis of 2008. Grebow helped the bank resolve its loan portfolio and regulatory sanctions, raise new capital and hire a competent management team. Today the bank continues to serve its traditional client base of consumers and labor unions and has grown in new directions, working most notably with political organizations and sustainability initiatives.

Supporting Labor Negotiations

Lakewood Advisors brings together a wealth of experience advising labor unions and companies in difficult labor contract negotiations. Our approach revolves around the development of solutions that maintain a company’s financial health, preserves jobs and restores positive labor-management relations.

Supporting Climate Change Initiatives

LWA Senior Advisor, Damon Silvers has been involved in climate policy, labor and finance throughout his career, including as Policy Director of the AFL-CIO and as a participant in the Biden-Harris Transition Team.  Most recently he delivered a four part lecture series on Labor and Climate Change at University College London’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose in 2022.

LWA works with companies developing products that support climate change initiatives.  We raise funds for these companies from public and private sector sources.  We are active in this area in the United States and United Kingdom.