CORTLAND, NY (607NewsNow) – A longtime labor advocate is receiving recognition in Cortland County.
On May 5, Linda Smith was officially named the 2026 Woman of Distinction Honoree for State Senate District 52.
State Senator Lea Webb presented the award to Smith in Albany.
“Linda Smith has spent her life standing up for working people and strengthening her community in lasting ways,” stated Webb. “She has demonstrated leading with integrity through her work in the labor movement and years of public service. Linda’s advocacy has helped ensure that workers are treated with fairness and respect, and her commitment to others continues to make a real difference. I am proud to honor her as our 2026 Woman of Distinction.”
The Upstate New York native Smith began working at Pall Trinity in Cortland in 1987, serving in several leadership roles with UAW Local 1326, including union president and as a member of the negotiating committee. In 1995, Smith and others from UAW locals established the Cortland Workers’ Rights Board. The organization helped non-union workers with wrongful termination, wage theft, discrimination, and workers’ compensation. The group also provided free health and safety training until it closed in 2004.
“I can’t express enough my heartfelt gratitude to Senator Webb for honoring me as a Woman of Distinction,” said Smith. “I was surprised and humbled, given the extraordinarily accomplished honorees that have come before me. My work over the years as a labor activist was simply driven by my belief that when workers organize for decent wages, benefits, fairness and safe working conditions in the workplace, it creates a ripple effect that helps build strong, vibrant communities. I will always seek out ways to stand with workers for the betterment of our communities.”
Upon the closing of the Cortland Workers’ Rights Board, Smith joined the office of Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, where she served as Chief of Staff until her retirement in 2017.
You can read more from State Senator Lea Webb’s office here.
