Great Job Rich!

September 11, 2020, 8:31 PM

By Former President Peter Ward

I just wanted to take a moment to pay homage to the absolutely marvelous and amazing job our new President, Rich Maroko, has done in almost single-handedly winning an additional three months of health care coverage, and the right to collect severance “bridge payments” for the approximately 28,000 HTC-represented workers covered under the IWA and Division A contracts.

As announced today, when he determined that the employers would not voluntarily agree to pay for these additional emergency benefits, he conceived, prepared, and presented a winning case in arbitration (as both our Union’s leader and lead attorney) that will have a hugely beneficial impact on, and give peace of mind, to most of our members and their families.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of this achievement, given that we clearly can expect no relief from the federal government. I don’t know of any other union in this or any other industry that has been able to get continued funding for eight additional months of health coverage for the laid off workers it represents during this catastrophic emergency.

As the former leader of our Union, I have a uniquely acute understanding of how complex and difficult a problem this was to successfully address, and I also had a ringside seat that allowed me to see the consummate skill with which Rich managed it.

It makes me incredibly proud, and I hope you all feel the same way.

Great job Rich!