A few of our stories and columns are now in front of the paywall. We at The Chief remain committed to independent reporting on labor and civil service. It's been our mission since 1897. You can have a hand in ensuring that our reporting remains relevant in the decades to come. Consider supporting The Chief, which you can do for as little as $3.20 a month.
The nation’s largest regional labor federation has a new, permanent leader. Brendan Griffith was elected this week by acclamation to succeed Vincent Alvarez as president of the New York City Central Labor Council. Griffith, the CLC's longtime chief of staff, had served in an interim capacity since Alvarez stepped down July 1.
“I’m honored by the trust delegates have placed in me and grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our city’s Labor Movement,” Griffith said in a statement provided by the CLC. “Thanks to President Alvarez’s years of leadership and deep commitment to working New Yorkers, we have a strong foundation to build on. His legacy has helped position our Movement to take on the challenges ahead. Going forward, I’m committed to working in partnership with our affiliates to meet this moment and fight for a fairer, more just city, with an economy that works for all working people.”
Griffith, a member of Iron Workers Local 40 and United University Professions, joined the CLC in 2009 and was appointed chief of staff in 2011.
Mario Cilento, the president of the New York State AFL-CIO, said Griffith’s decade at the Council made him the right choice for the position.
“Brendan Griffith is intelligent, genuine, and deeply committed — traits that make him an ideal fit for the crucial role of President of the New York City Central Labor Council,” Cilento said in a statement. “His background as an Iron Worker also gives him invaluable, hands-on insight into the daily realities of workers' needs. I look forward to working with Brendan and wish him great success in his new role.”
CWA Local 1180 President Gloria Middleton said she looked forward to working with Griffith.
"Brendan knows what it means to fight for working people and stand shoulder to shoulder with union members from every trade and sector. His deep-rooted commitment to organized labor, combined with his working-class values and real-world experience, brings exactly the kind of leadership we need at this pivotal moment for unions,” Middleton said, also in a statement.
Composed of about 300 private and public local unions, the CLC altogether represents about 1 million workers in the city, among them truckers, educators, nurses, construction workers and engineers.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here