Schedule

International Vice President Kenneth Kirk was appointed by International President John A. Costa with approval by the ATU General Executive Board as International Secretary-Treasurer on December 13, 2019 to serve out the term of the late International Secretary-Treasurer Oscar Owens. Kirk came to work in public transit in 1985 while looking for a job to support himself in college when an old friend recommended he apply for a job at Dallas Transit System. He got the job and joined Local 1338-Dallas, TX. After a year on the job, he got sick and had to take three days off. When he returned, his pay had been docked. When he challenged management they told him he hadn’t adhered to company policy on reporting sick time. Kirk knew he had been singled out because one of the managers didn’t like him. It sparked him to get involved with his Local to make sure management would not do this to his sisters and brothers. In 1990 Kirk was appointed a Shop Steward at Local 1338. A year later he was elected Vice President of the Local and was elected President/Business Agent in 1994. When Kirk took over the Local had 368 members. By the time of his appointed as an International Representative in 2004, Kirk had increased Local membership to 1,500 members. While Local President/Business Agent Kirk served the labor community in Dallas as Vice President and President of the Dallas AFL-CIO. He was also Vice President and President of the ATU Texas Legislative Conference Board. In April 2004, then International President Warren George appointed Kirk as an International Representative. In July 2004, George appointed Kirk as an International Vice President to fill out the term of International Vice President Charles Pettus, who retired for health reasons. Kirk was elected International Vice President at the 54th International Convention in Las Vegas, NV in 2004 and has been re-elected IVP at the last five Conventions.

John A. Costa was elected International President of the Amalgamated Transit Union, September 26, 2019, at ATU’s 59th International Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Costa was elected as International President by the ATU General Executive Board in May 2019 after the untimely and tragic death of ATU International President Larry Hanley. Costa had served as an International Vice President since being elected at ATU’s 56th International Convention in Orlando, FL in 2010. Previously he was Chair of the ATU New Jersey State Council from 2008-2010. Known for his tough bargaining style, Costa has negotiated groundbreaking contract agreements for countless ATU Locals across the United States. A native of Newark, NJ, Costa launched his career in organized labor at NJ Transit in 1981, joining ATU Local 819 in Newark, NJ. In 2001, after serving his Local in various capacities, he was elected President - a position he held for three consecutive terms before moving on to become Chair of the ATU New Jersey State Council and then ultimately ATU International Vice President. Costa also previously served as Vice President of the Executive Board of the New Jersey AFL-CIO and Vice President of the Essex-West Hudson Labor Council. He resides in Monmouth County, NJ, with his wife and has two daughters and two grandchildren.

Ted Pappageorge is the Secretary-Treasurer (2022- present). He previously served as President (2012 - 2022) for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Ted is a native of Las Vegas and has been a Culinary Union member since 1982. Ted worked as a Busboy at the Sands, Barback at the Sundance, and a Bartender at the Mint, Horseshoe Club, and Riviera Hotel. As a single father of two young children, he wanted to protect healthcare and job security for his family, so he got involved as a negotiating committee member and played a key role as a picket captain in the 9-month Horseshoe Strike in 1990. After the Horseshoe Strike successfully ended, Ted had the opportunity to join the Culinary Union staff in 1991. Ted spent the last 30 years organizing non-union and union workers who were fighting for respect and dignity at work. He has dedicated most of his life to developing worker leadership programs and building power inside workplaces with Culinary Union members on-the-job.

Elizabeth H. Shuler is president of the 58 unions and 12.5 million members of the AFL-CIO, and the first woman leader of America’s labor movement. A visionary leader and longtime trade unionist, Shuler believes the labor movement is the single most powerful vehicle for progress and that unions are a central force in leading lasting societal transformations. She is committed to busting myths about labor, leveraging the labor movement’s diversity for innovative approaches to social justice and making the benefits of a union voice on the job available to working people everywhere.

Elise began her work as a labor activist when she joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1975. She launched her labor arts career as the artistic director of the University of Michigan’s labor theatre project, Workers’ Lives/Workers’ Stories in 1982. She joined the National Writers Union and began her screenwriting career with a script for the documentary, Porgy and Bess: an American Voice, which aired last year on PBS. Elise wrote and directed three plays produced by the Performance Network in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Common Ground Theatre Ensemble: “Workin’ for Living,” “River Dreams,” and “The Zoo Zoo Chronicles.” In 1998, Elise made her Washington, DC stage debut in Theatre J’s production of Goodnight Irene and founded the DC Labor Chorus. She directed two productions of the labor jazz opera, Forgotten, in Detroit and in the Washington, DC area (see www.forgottenshow.net). In 2017, Elise directed the debut of a new labor jazz opera, Love Songs from the Liberation Wars, which also opened to rave reviews. She is currently working on an autobiographical one-woman show entitled, “Queen of the Night.” After working 35 years as a labor educator, Elise retired from her professorship at the National Labor College to start her own consulting service, the E.L.I.S.E. Consortium. Her areas of expertise include Communication Skills, Effective Committee Training, Leadership Training, Teaching Techniques, Labor History and Culture, Diversity Training, Organization Development and “Arts as a Tool for Organizing”. Elise currently serves as the executive director of the Labor Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization that is the “art and soul of the labor movement.” After serving two terms as Vice President, Elise continues to serve on the Executive Board of CWA/Newspaper Guild Local 32035 and is a member of American Federation of Musicians Local 1000. In 2017, she was elected president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) and was re-elected in 2021.

Rachel Anne Notley ECA MLA is a Canadian politician who served as the 17th premier of Alberta from 2015 to 2019, and has been the leader of the Opposition since 2019. She sits as the member of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton-Strathcona, and is the leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party.

Clayola Brown began serving as National President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, located in Washington, D.C., in August 2004-- the first female to serve in that role. In addition, she was appointed as Civil Rights Director, AFL-CIO in February 2021. Ms. Brown’s lifelong commitment to labor activism began in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, where she—alongside her activist mother—campaigned to organize the Manhattan Shirt Factory. She eventually became Education Director for the newly merged Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union; was appointed Civil Rights Director and served as Manager for the Laundry Division affiliate for more than 13 years. In 1991, she was elected International Vice President and continues to serve in that capacity. Clayola is also the Civil Rights Director under the repositioned union Workers United, an SEIU affiliate. She has served as a member of the General Executive Board of Workers United since its formation in March 2009. In 1995, she was elected to the AFL-CIO Executive Council, where she served for 10 years. Ms. Brown was also a Director of the Amalgamated Bank for 20 years, the most senior sitting Bank Director. Ms. Brown was appointed to the National Commission on Employment Policy by President Bill Clinton for 2 terms, and appointed a member of the New York State Workforce Investment Board by Governor George Pataki. At the invitation of President Barack Obama under former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Ms. Brown served as a representative member on the Labor Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy; and continued that role under Labor Secretary Tom Perez. She is a graduate of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida. She has performed post-graduate work at American University in Washington, D.C., Queens College and York University in New York City and is a lecturer at Cornell University. She has also served as a consultant with Trinity College in Washington, D.C. on African American affairs.

Departures start at 4:00PM from Caesars Palace Tour Lobby. Continual Shuttles to Mandalay Bay

Charles Wowkanech is President of the one million-member New Jersey State AFL-CIO, serving in this capacity since January 5, 1997. He was unanimously elected to four-year terms in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. During the 28th National AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention in 2017, Charlie was elected to a four-year term as one of 55 vice presidents on the national AFL-CIO Executive Council – one of only two state federation presidents on the body. In 2019, Governor Phil Murphy appointed him as a member of New Jersey’s Future of Work Task Force. Charlie is a second-generation member of Local 68 of the Operating Engineers and was a member of a start-up crew at a Newark Airport terminal where he quickly gained a reputation as an aggressively hard worker. Promoted to shop steward, he eventually earned the title of chief engineer. By age 21, he was the youngest member ever appointed to the local’s Executive Board in its more than 100-year history. He was then appointed as an organizer and elected as a Business Agent. Over the course of the last 25 years, under Charlie’s leadership, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Candidates Program has recruited, trained, mentored, and campaigned on behalf of rank-and-file union members, running for political office – from school board and town council to the state legislature and Congress. An integral part of the program is the annual Labor Candidates School, which provides detailed, expert instruction on how to run a successful campaign. Having achieved 1186 election victories since its inception – with a win ratio of more than 77% – the effectiveness of the program is clear. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Candidates Program not only stands alone, but has also revolutionized the role labor plays in New Jersey state and local government. With the power derived from the labor candidates program, Charlie has positioned the New Jersey State AFL-CIO to champion progressive reforms, including Paid Family Leave, Project Labor Agreements, prevailing wage, card-check in the public sector, and raising the minimum wage. These reforms have served to enhance the health, safety, and economic wellbeing of millions of New Jersey families.

Bea Bruske was elected President of the Canadian Labour Congress at the 29th Constitutional Convention in 2021. She is only the second woman to hold the position. For more than three decades, Bea has served workers and their families as an activist, workers’ advocate, negotiator, community organizer and labour leader. Her experience has served her well as President of CLC in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before her election as President, Bea served as Vice-President of the UFCW Canada National Council, which sets the strategic direction for the national union and its more than 250,000 members across the country. She had previously served as Secretary-Treasurer for UFCW Local 832, where she was responsible for the largest private-sector union local in Manitoba. Bea’s passion for the rights of working people was ignited in 1987 when she and her UFCW Local 832 co-workers held the line for 125 days to achieve a fair contract at the Westfair grocery chain in Manitoba. Over the next seven years, Bea took on roles as a shop steward, health and safety committee member, and was elected by her fellow members as a vice-president of the Local’s executive board. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba’s Labour Studies program.

The first Latina and first immigrant woman to become president of a national union in the United States, Teresa Romero replaced Arturo S. Rodriguez as the third president of United Farm Workers in December 2018. Formerly the union’s No. 2 officer as secretary-treasurer, she has years of experience overseeing the complex financial management, administrative, staff recruitment, personnel, fundraising, IT and social media operations of a far-flung organization involved in field organizing, contract bargaining, and administration, legislative and legal affairs, and far-reaching international initiatives. Romero worked closely with elected UFW leaders as chair of the union’s audit and finance committee. She ran fundraising efforts that collected $1 million to build the UFW’s new state-of-the-art 10,294-square foot facility in Salinas serving the largest concentration of unionized farm workers in the nation. Before joining the UFW, she managed a construction company and a law firm that helped workers with immigration and workers compensation claims. Teresa Romero is an immigrant from Mexico who is proud of her U.S. citizenship and Mexican and Zapotecan heritage. She has played an important part in many recent successful union efforts, is admired by her peers for her work ethic, calm competence, organizational skills, ability to build relationships, and Si Se Puede! Spirit. For the last few months, Teresa has attended several immigration negotiation meetings for the Blue Card legislation sponsored by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. This legislation would give farm workers and their families a path to citizenship if they have worked and continue to work in the agricultural industry for a certain number of years. In May of 2019, she received the Ohtli award by the first Mexican woman ambassador in the United States. This award is given on a yearly basis to Mexican citizens who work in the U.S. and help promote their culture while opening paths for other Mexican nationals. As President of the United Farm Workers she has been in discussions with the Mexican government to help put emphasis on the dairy and agricultural industries that refuse to hire women. She is dedicated to change that type of atmosphere and create a system to apply in both the U.S. and Mexico to hire women while also helping create an environment in which women are no longer enduring verbal, mental, and sexual abuse. Teresa is aware and humbled by the fact that many farmworker women see themselves in her. She’s helping pave the way and empowering women. Si Se Puede!

Yanira Merino is the National President of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, which represents the interests of approximately 2 million Latino(a) trade unionists throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Ms. Merino is a veteran labor and immigration rights leader and advocate. On August 2018 during LCLAA’s 22 Convention, held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she was elected as president of this organization that aims at providing a voice for Latino working families nationally by coordinating labor policy on immigration, as well as other issues that are critical to Latin Americans across the United States. Merino was born in El Salvador and migrated to the U.S. in the 1990’s, at the time of an ongoing war in her home country. When she arrived in the U.S., she joined the labor movement in order to protest poverty wages, wage theft, discrimination, and unsafe working conditions at a shrimp factory where she worked at in Los Angeles. Ms. Merino and co-workers organized and led efforts to change these unfair practices. She has since worked in numerous organizing campaigns, migration efforts as well as solidarity work with Central America. In 2000 she began serving as the National Immigration Coordinator for the Laborer’s International Union of North America (LiUNA). Yanira Merino’s election to the national presidency of LCLAA represented a turning point for the organization, as she became the first woman, and first formerly undocumented immigrant to lead LCLAA. Her advocacy and passion regarding immigration issues have played a key role during crucial times for our Latino community. Merino has been committed to the protection of immigrant rights, promoting comprehensive and humane immigration reform, as well as advocating for the rights of working people of Latin American descent. Merino’s determination and tenacity for advancing living and working conditions for Latino and immigrant workers has been indispensable for the work LCLAA does and for its pledge to guarantee social and economic justice for all working people.

Allow yourself to experience the signature dishes of the world-class restaurants on a walking tour. You will visit and eat at three different restaurants.

Excursion departure times will be provided on your ticket. Your event ticket which will be included in your convention materials at the registration counter.

Take a self-guided tour of the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. A boxed lunch will be provided.

Excursion departure times will be provided on your ticket. Your event ticket which will be included in your convention materials at the registration counter.

Stephen Cotton is the general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) – a global union federation of 665 trade unions representing 20 million workers in 147 countries in the seafaring, port, road, rail, and aviation sectors. He was re-elected to the position at the 44th ITF Congress held in Singapore in 2018. Cotton joined the ITF in 1993 as the head of the agreements unit in the maritime section. He was later promoted to the position of assistant secretary of the special seafarers’ department (SSD), secretary of the SSD, and maritime coordinator prior to his appointment as acting general secretary in October 2012. Under Cotton’s leadership of the ITF’s maritime section, significant achievements were made that have positively impacted the maritime industry and bettered the lives of seafarers. Under his tenure, the ITF inspectorate expanded from 35 to 147 inspectors and contacts, and ships covered under ITF collective bargaining agreements increased to over 12,000 from less than 2,000. Cotton oversaw major Flags of Convenience (FOC) policy changes and led the introduction of ‘Oslo to Delhi’ and Mexico City policies, which laid the foundation for the landmark 2006 signing of the International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) – establishing a set of international minimum standards enforceable by international law. Throughout his career at the ITF, Cotton has sought to improve the operations of the ITF, focusing on building affiliates’ power and streamlining the operations of the secretariat in order to make a real difference in the lives of transport workers and influence lead industry players in the transport sector. Under Cotton’s leadership as general secretary, the ITF has transformed into a proactive campaigning organisation allowing the ITF and its affiliates to secure industry-leading contracts and protocols with key multinational companies in the transportation sectors, including aviation, maritime and road transport. In 2014, Cotton received the United Seamen’s Service (USS) Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award (AOTOS), the maritime industry’s most prestigious award, in recognition of his work for defending the well-being and fair treatment of seafarers around the world. Cotton is a trustee of the ITF Seafarers’ Trust, the International Maritime Training Trust, and serves on the United Seaman’s Service governing body.

Martin J. Walsh was sworn in as the 29th Secretary of Labor on March 23, 2021. A lifelong champion of equity and fairness, and a proud product of the City of Boston, Secretary Walsh leads the U.S. Department of Labor with a strong connection to working people, and a commitment to creating an economy that works for all. In 1997, he was elected to serve as a State Representative for one of the most diverse districts in Massachusetts. There, he focused on creating good jobs, protecting workers' rights, expanding mental health treatment, and investing in public transit. Following his time as a State Representative, Secretary Walsh spent the last seven years as the Mayor of the City of Boston. While mayor, he led the creation of close to 140,000 jobs and helped secure a statewide $15/hour minimum wage, paid sick leave, and paid parental leave. He established Universal, high-quality Pre-Kindergarten for all children, and free community college for low-income students. Secretary Walsh was a national leader in the response to COVID-19, getting PPE to first responders and nursing homes; funding emergency child care for healthcare and frontline workers; halting evictions and providing rental relief; and setting up multiple funds to help small businesses survive. His work early in the pandemic to pause construction and establish safety requirements has been lauded as a model by both unions and employers alike. As Mayor of Boston, Secretary Walsh also made his mark as a labor leader. After following his father into Laborers Local 223 in Boston, he rose to head the Building and Construction Trades Council from 2011 to 2013. He worked with business and community leaders to promote high-quality development, and he created a program called Building Pathways that has become a model for increasing diversity in the workplace and providing good career opportunities for women and people of color. Born and raised in the neighborhood of Dorchester by immigrant parents, Secretary Walsh is driven to ensure our nation's economy works for everyone. Secretary Walsh is a survivor of Burkitt lymphoma and is a proud member of the recovery community who has worked to expand addiction treatment throughout his career. While working full-time as a legislator, he returned to school to earn a degree in Political Science at Boston College.

Elected the IAFF’s 10th General President at the IAFF 55th Convention in March 2021, Edward A. Kelly is the son, grandson, brother, nephew, and cousin of fire fighters. Kelly previously served as the IAFF’s 11th General Secretary-Treasurer from 2016-2021. Kelly joined the Boston Fire Department as a fire fighter/EMT in 1997, where he was assigned to Ladder Company 17 in Boston’s South End. In 1999, he was assigned to the Technical Rescue team that assisted Worcester Local 1009 at the Cold Storage Warehouse fire, which claimed the lives of six IAFF Local 1009 members. Kelly was also among the thousands of fire fighters at Ground Zero after September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center and responded to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. Kelly rapidly climbed the ranks of organized labor and is known and respected for his strong dedication to the rank-and-file members of the IAFF and his visionary leadership across the labor movement. He served as president of Boston, MA Local 718 in one of the most contentious times in the local’s history, engaging in a bitter duel with the city’s administration over the local’s collective bargaining rights. He went on to become president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts in 2011, a post he held until his election as IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer. During his tenure as General Secretary-Treasurer, Kelly implemented multiple programs to support IAFF local leaders, including overseeing the development and implementation of IAFF System Management Active Response Technology (SMART), which provides communication and database tools to the IAFF affiliates in the United States and Canada. Kelly also implemented innovative new processes to streamline dues collection from affiliates. As treasurer, Kelly made organizational changes in healthcare and other expense reductions, which saved approximately $2 million. Kelly also made changes to ensure compliance with various oversight and regulatory obligations to protect the union from scrutiny. As the recordkeeper for the International, Kelly modernized the operations of the General Secretary-Treasurer’s office, while preserving the long history of the IAFF by making every historical record within his office available to members. He instituted policies and procedures that resulted in greater transparency and trust across the membership of the IAFF. A graduate of the Harvard Trade Union Program class of 2015, he was named Labor Leader of the Year by the Greater Boston Labor Council. Kelly was appointed by the governor of Massachusetts to serve as a commissioner at the Department of Fire Services, as well as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission, one of the largest healthcare purchasers in the Northeast. Kelly also served as the elected Executive Vice President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. As part of Kelly’s charitable efforts, he is a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors for Massachusetts Iraq and Afghanistan Fallen Heroes and a trustee for the Boston Fire Department Charitable Association, first established in 1828 to ensure proper burial for indigent fire fighters and which now assists widows and widowers of fire fighters of modest means. A proud military veteran, Kelly served as a fire fighter in the U.S. Air Force. As an active fire fighter, Kelly brings a direct connection from the rank-and-file IAFF members in firehouses and fire halls across both countries to the very top of their union.

Rev. Terrence L. Melvin holds the second highest office in the New York State labor movement – Secretary-Treasurer of the 2.5 million members, New York State AFL-CIO. In July 2007, Mr. Melvin was elected to this position where he remains to date. In 1980, Mr. Melvin started his career as a member of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 427 at the Western New York Developmental Center. CSEA is a Statewide Union representing over 250,000 state, county, municipal and private sector workers throughout New York. After being hired on the nightshift, he quickly moved from shop steward and grievance representative to Vice President of the Local. In December 1983, at age 21, Mr. Melvin became the youngest CSEA Local President when he was elected to the position of President of CSEA Local 427, a local union representing over 2,000 members. During his tenure as President, he increased leadership education and training as well as inspired the overall membership to be more involved in the activities of the Local. In the community, Mr. Melvin is a long-time activist who has touched many lives. Outside of his Labor life, Mr. Melvin has actively engaged in Labor allied and community organizations. In May 2012, at the 41st International Convention of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), Mr. Melvin was elected unanimously as the organization’s new president, succeeding William (Bill) Lucy, who had held the position since he co-founded CBTU in 1972. CBTU, which is dedicated to addressing the unique concerns of black workers and their communities, has 50 chapters in major U.S. cities and one in Ontario, Canada. In 2020, at the height of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement, Mr. Melvin was appointed Executive Director of the re-established National AFL-CIO Racial Justice Task Force. Working with National Affiliate Leaders he has been able to advance a concrete and comprehensive program for the National Labor Movement to undertake – addressing issues from Policing to Representation. He has added credibility and direction to the Racial Justice work of the National AFL-CIO and its influence on their affiliates.

A banquet will be held on Wednesday, September 21, beginning with a cocktail reception from 5-6:00 PM by the Julius Ballroom located on the pool level.  Dinner and entertainment will follow at 6:00 PM in the Julius Ballroom.  Business attire is required.