Pittsburgh President is Labor Leader of the Week

August 18, 2008 – Pittsburgh, PA Local 1 President Joe King knows the importance of political action and works hard to ensure his members do, too. That’s why the AFL-CIO named King “Pennsylvania Labor Leader of the Week” for the week of August 10, 2008.

During each election campaign cycle, the AFL-CIO and its state affiliates name state labor leaders of the week each week. Nominations are based on the leader’s political activity, contributions to the community and ability to inspire political involvement within the union membership.

“If you want successful political action, direct communication with your members is crucial,” says King. “You have to make sure the members are informed on the issues and the candidates. Often, this alone will inspire them to get involved.” Local 1 disseminates information to its membership at meetings and through the union’s monthly newsletter, The Fire Fighter.

Over King’s 22-year tenure as Pittsburgh Local 1 president, the IAFF affiliate has been heavily involved in campaigns on the local, state and national levels. Local 1 works to elect candidates friendly to fire fighters and to oust those who are not.

The IAFF affiliate is also active in issue-based campaigns. “Our pensions, presumptive disability benefits and a host of other issues are affected by decisions made on all levels of government,” says King. “If we do not keep abreast of what is going on, any one of those benefits could disappear, so it behooves us to stay involved.”

Click here to read the AFL-CIO’s article on King’s political involvement. Click here to view the entire interview.