Published 21 Jul, 2016
It was a nostalgic and joyful evening for Local 208 on July 16 as it celebrated 75 years of working on behalf of transit workers in Columbus, Ohio.
Local 208 President Andrew Jordan and his executive board were hosts for the evening that brought together representatives of the International union as well as other Ohio-based locals, and even Local 1460 from New York.
International President Harry Lombardo, Executive Vice President John Samuelsen, Administrative Vice President Gary Maslanka, and Vice President and Transit Division Director Jerome Lafragola were joined by other members of the International staff in congratulating the local.
In a short documentary produced by TWU and presented as a gift by President Lombardo, the long storied history of Local 208 was brought to life. The video, and the speech by President Lombardo that preceded it, recounted the early days of fighting for fairness for the transit workers of Columbus, as well as the two strikes that put Local 208’s union muscle on the map in a way that captured the ideals of TWU’s founder, Michael J. Quill.