Peggy Browning Awards Showcase TWU's Commitment to Labor Law Students

APRIL 7 -- Local 100 purchased two tables at the prestigious Peggy Browning Fund awards dinner which honors labor attorneys and leaders, and builds resources to encourage and recruit new lawyers to join the labor movement. President Samuelsen received an award along with longtime labor attorney Carol O'Rourke Penningson and noted labor arbitrator Howard Edelman. Picking up the award for Samuelsen, who was out of town, was our own Shannon Poland. In his address, Poland relayed President Samuelsen's respect and appreciation to Edelman for arbitrating cases on the merits and giving transit workers a fair shake. For his part, Edelman, on accepting his award, recalled the time when he got out of his car at the College Point Depot and was confronted by a rank and file Bus Operator. It turned out what the TWU member wanted was to thank the arbitrator for saving his job.

Many of TWU Local 100's friends and allies in the legal profession were on hand, including principals of Colleran, O'Hara & Mills and Pitta Bishop Del Giorno & Giblin, among many others. Denis Engel, Counsel to Local 100, introduced Shannon Poland. The packed dinner was enlivened by the presence of many young lawyers who have been on mentoring fellowships with labor organizations and have participated in regional workshops about labor law in law schools across the country. Fully 53.5% of Peggy Browning Fund alumni are practicing law in workers' rights organizations and related public interest industries. TWU Local 100 salutes the Peggy Browning Fund for doing so much to create and support the next generation of labor advocates in the legal profession.

At the dinner for the Union (pictured) were Officers and Directors along with the union's senior attorney, Ursula Levelt.