Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher has been re-elected as seventh vice-president on the general executive board of the International Union of Operating Engineers which represents nearly 400,000 union members from across North America.
“I consider it an honour and privilege to be re-elected as a vice-president on the general executive board of the IUOE and to represent Operating Engineers across the country,” Gallagher said.
“I feel humbled and will continue to do everything in my power to raise issues that we face in Canada to the IUOE general executive board.”
The election took place recently at the 39th general convention of the IUOE in Hollywood, Florida.
Gallagher, who is also president of the Canadian Conference of the IUOE, said he looks forward to advancing the union agenda.
“The issues that Operating Engineers face here in Canada are often the same ones faced by our Brothers and Sisters south of the border, namely organizing new companies and training the next generation of crane and heavy equipment operators,” he said. “I look forward to working with the rest of the general executive board to chart a bright future for our union and its members.”
Local 793 president Joe Redshaw said in remarks at the convention that Gallagher is a dedicated, loyal and hard working union leader who has been an advocate for health and safety.
“Brother Gallagher’s honesty, integrity and work ethic will benefit the membership of this great International union.”
Gallagher is a past president of the Construction Safety Association of Ontario and won the Roy A. Phinnemore Award in 2013 for his contributions to construction health and safety. More recently, he was instrumental in convincing the government that rotary drill rig operators in Ontario require mandatory training.
Redshaw said in addition to his union contributions, Gallagher has also spearheaded events to raise money for charitable causes. He helped raise $170,000 to purchase a bulldozer for an orphanage in Kenya, another $100,000 for victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and chairs the Gary O’Neill Memorial Golf Tournament that has raised more than $600,000 for esophageal cancer research.
Gallagher was first appointed to the general executive board as an International trustee in October 2005. In May 2011, he was appointed as an International vice-president on the board. He has been a vice-president for seven years.