Carpenters Union veteran Tommy Costello saluted comrades across the nation as he accepted his Irish Labor Leader award at the annual Irish Echo awards ceremony in New York on Friday past.
And the New Jersey retiree, who was organiser for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters — capping a 45-year career with the union — reminded the packed Edison Ballroom that Irish 'agitator' Peter McGuire was the founder of New York's annual Labor Day parade.
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"On September 15 1882, a handful of laborers and carpenters, organized by Peter McGuire, began a march downtown through lower Manhattan, carrying signs that read 'Agitate, Educate, Organize' and 'Less Work, More Pay'," he said after accepting his award. "Although they were mocked by New York society, more men, women and children joined the march and by the time they reached Union Square, they were 10,000 strong and cheered by thousands more supporters. That was the first Labor Day parade."
Born in the US but brought up in Galway, Tommy returned to the US to study at Fordham before joining the Carpenters Union – and swiftly became a tireless advocate for the rights of workers.
Congratulations to PFFM President Rich MacKinnon on receiving The Irish Echo Labor Ambassador Award! The award ceremony was last night in NYC, recognizing 11 labor leaders and their contributions to the labor movement.https://t.co/jF6aNBuv8Dpic.twitter.com/g0Fjs0nwOh
"Irish Americans have expanded the American middle class," he said. "They became teachers, firefighters, police, labor leaders, business owners who led the formation of the American Labor Movement. When I look around the room, I see the unions who built New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and the rest of America.
SNAP: Capturing proceedings at the annual Irish labor celebration
"The Sandhogs who tunnelled out the subways and water tunnels; the longshoremen who unloaded the materials; the labourers and mason tenders who mixed, carried and laid the cement and bricks to build the skyscrapers that define the skylines of our great cities. The transportation workers who ran the buses and trains to make sure everyone got to work. The police and firefighters who kept us safe in our homes and businesses. The teachers who taught us all to read and write and the Con Edison workers who kept the heat and lights on. And finally, the Carpenters whose motto is 'the First Trade in and the Last Trade out'."
The author of “When the Shovel hits the Dirt” about union organizing, Costello's latest literary offering is entitled 'Irish Immigrants: The Backbone of the American Labor Movement' and is now available on Amazon.
Costello was among 11 labor leaders honored at the annual Irish Echo gathering which was addressed by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and received video greetings from Gerry Adams in Ireland.
