Who we are - LiUNA Eastern Region

Our Union

LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – is a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build the United States and Canada. A half-million strong, we are united through collective bargaining agreements, which help us earn family-supporting pay, good benefits, and the opportunity for advancement and better lives.

LIUNA Eastern Region represents more than 40,000 members in Delaware, New Jersey, New York City, Long Island, and Puerto Rico. We provide the skilled and productive workforce to thousands of top employers and are proud to not just build, but build better.

Our Members

A diverse, highly skilled, and versatile workforce and a politically and community-minded union–that’s how people describe LIUNA. And it all starts with our federally recognized apprenticeship program and independently accredited skills and safety training, a game-changing educational opportunity offered to LIUNA’s newest members—all at no cost to apprentices.

Construction is our primary industry but LIUNA also works in environmental remediation, education, manufacturing, sanitation, security, and the public sector. Outside of work, LIUNA members are just like everyone else. We live in your community, raise families, volunteer our time, pay bills, and everything else you would expect. By sticking together as unionists, LIUNA creates opportunities for a better work environment which leads to better lives for our members and their families. By setting the standards for fair pay, benefits, and working conditions, LIUNA helps all workers.

Our Leadership

LIUNA leaders can be found throughout the union—at the District Council and Local Union level, at worksites, and in our various funds and departments. Overseeing all operations in the Eastern Region is LIUNA International Vice President and Eastern Regional Manager, Raymond M. Pocino.

liuna history

The Beginning

1903-1920

Born of strife and struggle, LIUNA members have been uniting for better lives since 1836 when the first recognized Laborers union was established in Philadelphia. Hundreds of Laborers Local Unions existed across North America at the turn of the century but they were only admitted to the early AFL as "Federal Locals."

New Direction

1921-1940

The advent of the Great Depression in 1929 not only put tens of millions of Americans out of work, including tens of thousands of Laborers, it also drove wages downward. With so many people jobless and struggling to support their families, unions lost much of their leverage to negotiate wage increases.

war to prosperity

1941-1960

Some of the most critical ways the union helped members improve their lives was not just through their wages, but also through health insurance, pensions, disability coverage, and other benefits offering greater physical and financial security.

Leading the Way

1961-1980

In 1962, LIUNA helped found the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department Safety Committee, and launched an effort to stop construction site cave-ins through intensive membership education and pushing protective legislation.

Improving Health & Safety

1981-2000

In the late 80’s and early 90’s many LIUNA regions implemented training programs to further improve the skills and safety of members.

In 1981, New York LIUNA Locals added drug and alcohol rehabilitation to their welfare programs.

Over a Century

2001-Present

In the 21st century LIUNA has led the way for trade unions in its commitment to growth and member activism.

In 2001, delegates elected Terry O'Sullivan General President and Armand E. Sabitoni General Secretary-Treasurer. In 2006 and again in 2011 and 2016, delegates re-elected both to office.

LIUNA spearheaded the opening of its first construction charter school for high school students in 2003. The New England Laborers'/Cranston Public Schools Construction and Career Academy teaches students about the construction industry, opens the door to job opportunities upon graduation, and has won praise from the community and the construction industry.

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