Rochester, NY – IBEW Local 86 Business Manager Ray Ryerse has been elected President of the Rochester Building & Construction Trades Council.
The Rochester Trades Council represents 18 Affiliated Member Unions and 10,000 Unionized Construction Workers. IBEW Local 86 Business Manager Ray Ryerse succeeds International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 158 District Manager Grant Malone, who served as Building Trades President for the past five years.
“I’m honored by the trust placed in me by my peers,” said Ray Ryerse, Local 86 Business Manager, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. “The Rochester Building Trades Council has a proud history of standing up for Working Families, supporting Apprenticeship and training and ensuring local union labor remains central to the growth of our region. I look forward to working with our officers and affiliates to continue that mission.”
As a mentor and leader within Local 86, Ryerse has been a consistent advocate for registered apprenticeship programs, jobsite safety and maintaining the highest standards of quality on union construction projects.
SMART (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers) Local 46 Business Manager Anthony Valenti was elected Vice President and Laborers Local 435 Business Manager Dan Kuntz was re-elected Treasurer.
“This ‘injects some new blood into the Trades Council that will benefit’ the Building Trades,” said.Business Manager Anthony Valenti“We ‘need to rewrite’ our PLAs (Project Labor Agreements) ‘so they better suit our needs’ – ‘and we have to take another look at those Politicians who are always telling us what they need.’ ‘We need to switch it to what we need and not wait to see what they do for us.’ ‘We have to start holding people’s feet to the fire.’”
IUOE Local 158 Business Manager Grant Malone has been a Union Member for 42 years and plans to officially retire in May.
“Ray and Anthony ‘will do a good job and I wish them all the best.’ I’ve ‘already told them that I am here to help and that if I can do anything for them, I’m just a call away,’” said Malone.
