TWU Veterans Are Recognized for Service; Advance Legislative Campaign

Seventy-five TWU Local 100 veterans, from all branches of the U.S. military, were recognized for their service to our country at Local 100's annual Veterans Appreciation Day at the new Union Hall on November 14. Under the chairmanship of RTO Vice President Kevin Harrington, who also served as MC, the service veterans were treated to a hot dinner, speeches from two of our most committed political allies, and videos honoring our military and explaining the origins of Veterans Day as a memorial to World War I. Assemblyman Peter Abbate and State Senator Joe Addabbo both spoke.

Both legislators are co-sponsors of our key piece of legislation in the State House, A.6974/S.4714 (Paulin/Larkin), that would give the right to buy back pension time in the pension system to any service veteran, regardless of the conflict in which he or she served. Right now, some veterans have the right to this credit, others do not. Brother Harrington thanked the advocacy of Local 100 President John Samuelsen and MOW VP Tony Utano, who established the union's annual event honoring our veterans. Singled out for special mention in the evening was U.S. Army Veteran Phil Caruana, who has headed up the Union's Veteran's Desk for over a decade, for the most part by himself. A vet who served in Vietnam, Phil exemplifies the qualities of loyalty, courage, and service to which those in military service and union leadership aspire.