Somber Tribute to RMT's Bob Crow Marks TWU Quill-Connolly Day

Standing by our statue of Mike Quill are (l-r) TWU Local 100 Sec-Treasurer Earl Phillips, Rita O'Hare, Sinn Fein's representative to the United States, Dublin MP Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, and President Samuelsen
Standing by our statue of Mike Quill are (l-r) TWU Local 100 Sec-Treasurer Earl Phillips, Rita O'Hare, Sinn Fein's representative to the United States, Dublin MP Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, and President Samuelsen

TWU Local 100 members and invited guests from other TWU locals turned out on Saturday to mark the Union's annual Quill-Connolly day, which honors the legacy of TWU founder Mike Quill and Irish labor leader and patriot James Connolly, who was executed by the British for his role in the Easter Rising of 1916. This year, attendees included Gerry Adams, President of Ireland's Sinn Fein, and Mary Lou McDonald, a Member of the Irish Parliament representing Sinn Fein. Also at the Hall and speaking about working class solidarity and the fight for fair wages were Joe O'Flynn, General Secretary of SIPTU, Ireland's largest union, and Eddie Glackin, former chief executive of SIPTU's Irish Trade Union Trust. A pall was cast over the gathering by the untimely demise last week of UK labor leader Bob Crow, General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers, who has been mourned on both sides of the Atlantic. A stalwart friend of TWU Local 100 and champion of the working class and socialism, Bob was remembered by all who spoke including President John Samuelsen as a fighter for the common worker who can truly stand in the pantheon along with Quill and Connolly. We will post our tribute to Bob Crow on our website, as well as videos from the event, shortly.