General President of LIUNA, Brent Booker, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his short time in charge. Booker also talked about the workers who repaired Interstate 95 in record time and his plans for the future of the Union.
On May 1, Brent Booker became the 11th General President of LIUNA following the retirement fo former General President Terry O’Sullivan. Booker returned to LIUNA in January 2023 to begin training under former GP O’Sullivan. Thanks to the knowledge and leadership he passed down, Booker has been able to hit the ground running since taking his new position. Booker feels he has big shoes to fill, but is excited to keep the momentum going that began with the work done under O’Sullivan.
In early June, a truck ran into an underpass on Interstate 95 outside of Philadelphia, causing the bridge to eventually collapse. Originally, experts predicted repairs would take two to three months to complete. After a task force made up of building trades leaders and government officials met, a plan was created, and 12 days later, there was a temporary solution. Booker admires the hard work of all the workers involved and believes they serve as an inspiration and model for what could happen when you have organized labor involved in projects.
Inheriting a union with 500,000 members can be a daunting task, but for Booker, he’s excited not just to continue what has been done in the past, but improve on it and grow LIUNA even more. To grow, Booker and his team are pouring more resources into organizing. They are working with the federal government to create Project Labor Agreements and ensure a Prevailing Wage on jobs created from different federal bills. With more jobs and a pathway to the middle class, now is the time for people to “Feel the Power” of LIUNA and its working-class men and women.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.