The wonderful words of Walt Wheeler

One of the best people I’ve had the fortune to meet in the labor movement is Walt Wheeler.

Walt cannot speak yet he is one of the most outspoken voices in the union movement. Paul Grondahl wrote a wonderful story about him around Labor Day in 2005.

Walt is the secretary/treasurer of the Capital District Union Label and Services Trades Council. He was among six labor union representatives to sit down with Publisher George Hearst this week to tell him that the region’s unions would support the Guild.

The other participants were: Lee Cutler of New York State United Teachers; Steve Green of the Amalgamated Transit Union; Jeff Stark on behalf of the Building Trades; Tom Comanzo of the Public Employees Federation; and Kathleen Scales of the Capital District Area Labor Federation.

We are grateful all of these leaders took the time out to speak on behalf of the men and women of the Times Union. The meeting began with this wonderful letter from Walt.