Southwestern District Labor Council honors longtime supporters.
- - The Southwestern District Labor Council honored three long time labor leaders at the group’s annual Hall of Fame banquet, October 22, 2022. Pictured, left to right, are Randy Moore, recipient of the Lafe C. Chafin Lifetime Achievement Award; Paul Davis, CEO of the Tri-State Transit Authority who received the Dr. Stephen Kopp Honorary Award as a business executive who has consistently supported the labor movement; and Sterling Ball, retired president of the state’s United Food and Commercial Workers union. At right is SWDLC president Justin Altizer.
The Southwestern District Labor Council, a division of the West Virginia AFL-CIO, honored three longtime supporters of the labor movement at its annual Hall of Fame banquet which took place October22, 2022 at the Doubletree Hotel in Huntington.
Sterling Ball was inducted into the Labor Council’s Hall of Fame for his more than 40-year career with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), starting with his work at the Kroger Company in Parkersburg. He served as West Virginia president of UFCW had has been a vice president of the West Virginia AFL-CIO.
Randy Moore received the group’s Lafe C. Chafin Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his more than 50 years in the labor movement that included 26 years with the United Steelworkers (USW) local union at Special Metals. Subsequently, he held positions including USW Sub District Director and has been a member of the Executive Board of the WV AFL-CIO. He remains an active member of the Southwestern District Labor Council.
Paul Davis received the Dr. Stephen Kopp Honorary Award, named for the late president of Marshall University, for his support of unionization as General Manager and CEO of the Tri-State Transit Authority from 2009 to the present. The award goes annually to a member of the business community. He is a past president of the West Virginia Public Transit Association. Over the years, Davis has secured nearly $100 million in funding for Cabell County and the City of Huntington.
The banquet’s featured speaker was Josh Sword, president of the West Virginia AFL-CIO who touted the value of unions for both working families and the larger community.
The Southwestern District Labor Council, is comprised of representatives of 43 labor unions covering Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Logan and Mingo counties. “Our group annually honors not only labor leaders but also members of the business community, the political world, the media, the professions and academia who have worked cooperatively with labor in furtherance of the basic aims of unions, to deliver excellent work at fair compensation and in an environment of safety,” said its President, Justin Altizer, who is a member of the American Federation of Teachers.