Meet Gregory Caggiano: Former Union Member Turned Attorney

Prior to being an attorney, Gregory Caggiano was a member of the Communication Workers of America for many years. Additionally, Mr. Caggiano was a shop steward with Local 1104, who participated in multiple strikes. In 2001, Mr. Caggiano earned his JD from Touro Law School, where he attended night classes and worked full-time as a Union Splicer for New York Telephone.

In 2004, Mr. Caggiano founded Miller & Caggiano, LLP, a law firm that was formed with the mission to assist injured and disabled workers.

“When someone is injured, we are there to make sure that the medical treatments are there for them whenever they need them.”

Miller & Caggiano, LLP, has 72 staffers and 14 attorneys. Mr. Caggiano’s legal team fights hard, assisting community members in their legal issues relating to New York State Workers’ Compensation, Social Security Administration, New York State and Local Retirement System, and Personal Injury. The firm now has locations in Bohemia, Carle Place and Manhattan.

Mr. Caggiano’s personal experience has led to himself, along with the other attorneys at the firm, aiding many different unions. As Mr. Caggiano states, “Unions [and their attorneys] do not just make things better for workers, they make things better for the whole community.” Mr. Caggiano, with over 20 years of experience, finds fulfillment in helping local workers. “It is 100% fulfilling to be able to tell someone who has been injured that we achieved a settlement for them that will ensure that they can get the medical help they need whenever they need it and that their family can maintain its standard of living.”

As Mr. Caggiano detailed, it can be difficult for many injured workers to worry about trying to heal when they are already worried about their job status, bills and family. That is where Miller & Caggiano, LLP, comes in and fights for the injured worker’s rights…or as Mr. Caggiano himself puts it, “we are there to give the client and their family peace of mind.”

In addition to helping those who have been injured, Mr. Caggiano’s work has led to making the workplace environment safer. By sticking up to the Goliathan insurance industry, Miller & Caggiano, LLP, makes sure “companies have proper laws and protections in place.”

As Mr. Caggiano describes, “For every dollar that the insurance industry makes in New York State, less than 10 cents is paid in claims… [insurance companies] will say they have lost money from one year to the next. They don’t. For example, if they made $3 billion in profit for a year and the next year they made $2 billion in profit, they would say they lost $1 billion.” Mr. Caggiano further explained how the insurance industry’s “goal is to keep workers from getting needed medical treatment in a timely fashion.”

As times change, so does Mr. Caggiano. He is aware that it is imperative to look forward when protecting the rights and interests of others.

“There is a generational shift. We have more young people coming in who are uncertain about their rights and the role of the union.”

As Mr. Caggiano explained, many new workers will perform tasks that are beyond the scope of their job. This can sometimes be due to being unaware of their respective rights, and other times it can be done out of concern for their job and a need to please their employer. When going beyond the scope of their employment results in injury Mr. Caggiano and his attorneys “are there to help you maneuver the process of getting the help you need.”

As new generations of New Yorkers enter the workforce, Mr. Caggiano looks forward to continuing to protect the rights of injured workers for years to come.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.