April 12, 2007
N.Y. Guild President Barry Lipton to Retire
Longest-Serving President Will Step Down on June 1
Barry Lipton, the N.Y. Local’s longest-serving President, announced at the Local’s Executive Board meeting last night that he will retire on June 1 after 25 years in office.
Nominations and election rules for candidates to complete Lipton’s unexpired term as well as those for the Local’s secretary-treasurer are being sent to all shops in the Local. Nominations will take place at the April 19th Representative Assembly meeting at Guild headquarters at 7 p.m. Those nominations will be for the term ending on January 1, 2008.
Nominations for the usual three-year term from that date will take place in the Fall.
Lipton, a former financial advertising representative for The New York Times, came to the Newspaper Guild in 1982 when he won election as local Secretary-Treasurer. He began his presidency upon being elected to that position in 1984. The previous longest-serving Local president was Thomas Murphy.
Lipton’s tenure was marked by bringing unity among warring factions in the Local, unprecedented expansion in Local membership and bolstering the Guild’s ability to withstand strikes and countless threats to undermine the union movement at the Local. His leadership also was noted for the sale of the Guild’s building and subsequent move to its present headquarters at 1501 Broadway. Lipton, who has retired from the Times, led more than 150 negotiations most often in their crucial final stages for virtually all of the Local’s Collective Bargaining Contracts and directed countless job actions in and out of the workplace to help secure those agreements.
“It has been a long ride – very difficult at times, of course – but I wouldn’t have given up the opportunity for anything to have done this work and to have met such great people who are dedicated to making union members’ working lives better,” Lipton said. “I’m very proud that working together through the years with so many different, dedicated and honest people, we have done that.”
At the Executive Board meeting last night, Lipton said that in retirement he would make himself available if asked to help the Local anyway possible.
“I really loved what I’ve been doing for all of these years and I know I’ll miss all of my brothers and sisters who made it a labor of love,” Lipton said.
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4/12/07