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Newsmakers
Mike O’Donnell, of IUE-CWA Local 717, has been elected president of the Trumbull County, Ohio, Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. O’Donnell, 52, has been an IUE member since 1973. In 1979 he became the first student to graduate with an associate’s degree from Pennsylvania State University’s Labor Studies Program, and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the university the same year. His Warren, Ohio local represents about 5,400 workers at Delphi Packard Electric Systems. He has served the local as a bargaining committee and district committee member, human resources coordinator and treasurer. He served twice previously as president of the Trumbull County labor body during the 1980s. “I’m hoping we can build better relationships with all the members of the federation and work more closely with other organizations and unions in the community on concerns of mutual interest,” O’Donnell said.
Robert Patrician, a research economist for CWA, is one of five members named to the Department of Labor's Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Plans. Patrician was appointed by former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, prior to the change in administrations, to represent worker interests on the council. His primary responsibilities at CWA are pension and retirement security issues, which he also followed during his previous work at the International Union of Electronic Workers, now the IUE-CWA Industrial Division. The 15-member council, established by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), makes recommendations to the Labor Department on employee benefit issues. Council members represent constituencies interested in ERISA plans, including workers, employers, actuaries and the public.
Beth Thew, who served as secretary-treasurer of CWA Local 7818 for 11 years, has been elected to head the Spokane, Wash., Labor Council, AFL-CIO, one of the federation’s oldest central bodies. Thew, the first woman to be elected to office by the Spokane Labor Council, will serve as secretary-treasurer, the council’s top officer. In her 32 years as a CWA member and officer, Thew worked as an operator at US West, now Qwest, and served as a board member of the Pathways education and training program, jointly managed by CWA and the company. She also serves on the board of governors of the United Way.
Robert Patrician, a research economist for CWA, is one of five members named to the Department of Labor's Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Plans. Patrician was appointed by former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, prior to the change in administrations, to represent worker interests on the council. His primary responsibilities at CWA are pension and retirement security issues, which he also followed during his previous work at the International Union of Electronic Workers, now the IUE-CWA Industrial Division. The 15-member council, established by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), makes recommendations to the Labor Department on employee benefit issues. Council members represent constituencies interested in ERISA plans, including workers, employers, actuaries and the public.
Beth Thew, who served as secretary-treasurer of CWA Local 7818 for 11 years, has been elected to head the Spokane, Wash., Labor Council, AFL-CIO, one of the federation’s oldest central bodies. Thew, the first woman to be elected to office by the Spokane Labor Council, will serve as secretary-treasurer, the council’s top officer. In her 32 years as a CWA member and officer, Thew worked as an operator at US West, now Qwest, and served as a board member of the Pathways education and training program, jointly managed by CWA and the company. She also serves on the board of governors of the United Way.