AFSCME President McEntee Honored by AFL-CIO in Maryland

April 30, 2009

AFSCME International Pres. Gerald W. McEntee

AFSCME International Pres. Gerald W. McEntee is this year’s recipient of the “COPE Person of the Year” award by the Metropolitan Baltimore Council of AFL-CIO Unions.

Through COPE and its annual Committee on Political Education (COPE) Dinner, the Council raises funds to support voter registration and education programs in the metropolitan Baltimore area, which includes the city and six surrounding counties.

The Council noted that McEntee chairs the AFL-CIO’s Health Care Committee and that AFSCME co-chairs Health Care for America NOW!, a coalition of more than 80 labor, community, online, health activist, women’s and other groups that are building grassroots support and educating the public and lawmakers on how to fix the broken health care system.

In accepting the honor on April 21, McEntee said:

“To me, this award represents what we all do best. We put in that extra work.  We make that one last phone call. We attend that one additional rally. We walk that extra mile to guarantee workers get a fair deal.”

Previous COPE honorees include U.S. Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), former U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), AFL-CIO Sec.-Treasurer Richard Trumka and United Steelworkers Pres. Leo Gerard.

Learn more about President McEntee on AFSCME.org.