BAC Membership—A Family Business
by Jeanette Catalano

Angelo Catalano (center), son of Local 2 New York President Albert Catalano, and Ryan and Adam Rafferty (left/right), sons of Local 2 New York member Jim Rafferty, participate in the September 2000 Labor Pride Parade in Albany, New York.

Union membership extends, in one way or another, to all members of our family. My husband is the only card-carrying member, but I am proud to note that we are a union family. Our understanding of union commitment is echoed in how we raise our children, share our family history, vote in elections, purchase products, and view our employment.

When my husband and I first met, I’d often laugh at how he couldn’t walk past a brick building without commenting on how well the job was crafted and if it was done by a union contractor. At the time, I had no sense of why this was so important. I was raised in an Air Force family and had little knowledge of what trade unions were all about. I quickly realized that much of what I took for granted in my own employment—sick days, health insurance, weekends, personal time, safe working conditions—was all attributed to the hard work of unions. Thirteen years later, my husband is now teaching our seven-year-old son about his union tradition. From participating in labor parades, to carrying picket signs, we’ve involved our children in what
is important to us. Most importantly, our children have tremendous pride in what their father does for a living. They know that union work stands for quality and a candidate’s voting record on labor issues is of great concern to us when casting our vote in an election.

“. . . our children have tremendous pride in what their father does for a living and they know that union work stands for quality.”

Even at the tender age of seven, our son has held a trowel and even attempted to lay a few brick with his Dad. He may not understand the process of collective bargaining but he does have a strong sense of why unions are important to this world and to his family. Whether or not our son becomes a BAC member in years to come only time will tell, but the contributions that BAC has made to his young life in a union family have helped to give him a great start.