In 1964, Ed Sullivan signed up with International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 4 in his hometown of Boston as a probationary helper in the elevator trade. That was the beginning of a career that would take him to the presidency of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department and a long record of achievements for the working men and women of his industry.
Sullivan was a construction mechanic and an adjuster in maintenance for 17 years when his fellow union members chose him as business manager of Local 4. He was respected throughout his union when he led a highly successful nationwide campaign to bring innovation and democratic reforms to the IUEC. That led to his election as assistant to the general president in 1996 and then general president two years later.
In 2000 the Building and Construction Trades Department gave him its highest honor by selecting him as its president. Over the following seven years, Sullivan tackled large challenges and won important victories for the union members in the trades.
He created the Helmets to Hardhats program, which has opened the way for veterans to get good union jobs in the construction industry. He brought new strength and resources to the trades' work in political action, legislative mobilization, health and safety and apprenticeships. He reached out to build a new cooperative relationship with the employers in the Construction Users Roundtable, which has benefited countless union workers and made the entire unionized sector of the industry stronger.
And while major government and private-sector players failed us after the destruction of the World Trade Center and the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, members of the building and construction trades unions under Sullivan's leadership have shown America true heroism and dedication.
For more than six years, Sullivan has served as a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council. He has made a huge contribution to the council in many of its most important efforts, serving as the co-vice chair of the Legislative/Public Policy Committee and a member of committees ranging from Capital Stewardship and Immigration to Political Education and Finance.
Sullivan has retired as president of the Building and Construction Trades Department and now is retiring from the council. We join building and construction trades workers everywhere—from Disney World to the Tennessee Valley Authority and construction sites around America—in wishing him a long and happy retirement with his wife Mary and the rest of his family in his beloved Boston.