How long have you been a member of UWUA?
Around 10 years.
What has being a UWUA member meant to you over the course of your career?
UWUA gave me great opportunity to get more involved on the safety aspects of this job. Working with Scotty MacNeill, we launched a peer-to-peer program at Peoples Gas. It’s a process where a fellow union member goes out and talks to a fellow member about various safety concerns. It’s a no-name, no-discipline conversation between members about safety that helps us to address blind spots. I’ve also helped to implement this idea at other locals also.
Outside of that, throughout my career I responded to many carbon monoxide calls and gas leaks. We as union members make a big difference doing that, and we’re also saving lives and protecting public safety.
What’s next for you?
The best part of my retirement is working for the Power for America Training Trust (P4A) training veterans and working with Rick Passarelli, who was my mentor. It’s an honor to work with veterans who have served our country. I’m a trainer there working with about 45 veterans at a time. I’m very happy to be doing this.
Do you know a retiring UWUA member who deserves to be spotlighted? E-mail nominations to ebzymek@uwua.net.