The American union movement and all working people suffered a tremendous loss when AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department President Mark H. Ayers died unexpectedly on April 8 at age 63. Ayers was a genuine leader and a tireless advocate for workers in the building trades.
Ayers put public service first all his life. A military veteran, Ayers served as a U.S. Navy aviator for more than four years, including a tour of duty in the Vietnam War.
An Illinois native, Ayers joined Peoria IBEW Local 34 in 1973 and was a member of the Electrical Workers (IBEW) for 38 years. Every day at the IBEW, Ayers brought quality and leadership to the table. He wasted no time, working his way up as a treasurer and business representative for his local before serving as business manager. At the regional level, he co-founded a chapter of electrical contractors. He also served as trustee and chairman of his union’s welfare and pension trust fund. As he rose up through the IBEW, he lifted up the value of the IBEW Code of Excellence and championed the value of professionalism.
As president of BCTD and a member of this executive council, Ayers was a problem-solver who never shied away from straight talk about tough issues. There was no better advocate for workers in the building trades, and he was a champion and powerful leader for all working people. Ayers broke ground with his significant work on the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council and Helmets to Hardhats. He embodied the proud phrase of the building trades—“Quality on Display Every Day.”
We will miss him. We’ll never forget him. But we are stronger because of his time with us. He was a husband, a father and a grandfather, with many, many close friends. Of all the good and great things he accomplished in his life, the real measure of Mark Ayers was the way he treated people—and that was, always, with respect.