IN RECOGNITION OF THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREATER WILKES-BARRE LABOR COUNCIL; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 156
(Extensions of Remarks - September 26, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN RECOGNITION OF THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREATER WILKES-BARRE
LABOR COUNCIL
______
HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT
of pennsylvania
in the house of representatives
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Greater
Wilkes-Barre Labor Council on its 125th Anniversary. Since 1894, the
Labor Council has been a force of good in the Wyoming Valley,
championing the rights and interests of workers in the area. The
milestone will be celebrated along with the 120th anniversary of the
Northeastern Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council at a
special event on Saturday, September 28, 2019.
In the early evening of September 28, 1894, John Casey and Daniel
Shovlin of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union, Pat O'Neil and John
Gibbon of the Stone Cutters Union, Amos Ayers of the Carpenters Union,
and David Grover of the Painters Union met in a stone-cutting yard on
South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania before seeking shelter
from the rain under the South Street Bridge. These visionary men
discussed forming a central labor union to unite laborers from across
the city to fight for fair wages, safe working conditions, and
equitable treatment from their employers. It was under that bridge that
the Wilkes-Barre Central Labor Union was born.
By 1899, 118 local unions counted themselves as members of the
Wilkes-Barre Central Labor Union, and as many as 300 delegates
regularly attended meetings. To accommodate their ever-growing
membership, John Casey (who would go on to represent the region in the
U.S. House as a pro-labor legislator) and John Mullery created the
Building Trades Council as a subcommittee of the Central Labor Union.
The Union supported historic movements such as the 1900 and the 1902
anthracite strikes where they assisted John Marshall in organizing the
United Mine Workers of America. Throughout the 20th Century, the
Council supported movements large and small in the region to reflect
the best interests of workers across a variety of industries. In the
mid-1950s, the Wilkes-Barre Central Labor Union became officially known
as the Labor Council.
Today, the Labor Council operates out of a former church in Wilkes-
Barre. There are 47 locals affiliated with the Greater Wilkes-Barre
Labor Council, representing both private and public sector occupations.
The Council holds an annual Labor Day festival in Kirby Park and
continues to support community-wide charitable campaigns.
It is an honor to recognize the Greater Wilkes-Barre Labor Council on
its 125th Anniversary. Its hard work and dedication to protecting the
rights of workers in Northeastern Pennsylvania has been remarkable. I
wish its leaders and members the best as they continue to advocate on
behalf of our workers for years to come.
____________________
