Larry Hughes, a 61-year member of New York’s Local 6A union, the Cement and Concrete Laborers, joined the union in 1961. Both of his grandfathers were born into slavery, and he grew up on a former plantation in Jefferson County, Florida. After coming north, he joined the trade, where he was able to rise in the ranks, despite what he delicately called, “a variety of different cultures and personalities who…let’s just say it was a bit challenging.” He told a group of newly-minted journeymen, “You’re on your way to a great life for you and your families. It’s what this union can do for you because that’s what it did for me.”
Read the full story, reported by Union-Built Matters News, on December 27, 2022, here: https://www.unionbuiltmatters.org/larry-hughes
