The AFL-CIO Executive Council celebrates the service of Warren Fairley, international vice president for the Southeast Section of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (IBB).
Fairley began his career as a boilermaker in 1990, when he joined as a member of IBB Local 693 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and became a business manager in 1996, then an international representative three years later.
He was appointed deputy director of the IBB Shipbuilding and Marine Division in 2003, and two years later, he was promoted to director of the division.
In 2007, Fairley was elected international vice president-at-large for the industrial sector, a position he held until 2010 when he was elected to the office of international vice president for the Southeast Section.
Fairley joined the Executive Council in 2018 and was a valued member of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council and several other committees, where he was a leading voice promoting worker-centric trade policies and a revival of our domestic manufacturing sector.
Fairley worked to advance the rights of industrial workers both here and abroad through his leadership capacities with IndustriALL Global Union.
He forged solidarity effortlessly with the members of the IBB, and the relationships he built with business leaders and contractors helped further opportunities for Boilermaker members.
On behalf of the 12.5 million members of the AFL-CIO, the Executive Council is grateful for the service of our brother and friend, Warren Fairley, and we wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement.