HARRISBURG, PA — Angela Ferritto assumed the presidency of the Pennsylvania American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (PA AFL-CIO) on Thursday after president-elect Frank Snyder announced he will retire. According to process defined in the PA AFL-CIO constitution, Ferritto, the Secretary-Treasurer, assumes the presidency following Snyder’s retirement.
“Angela Ferritto is the absolute right person to lead the PA AFL-CIO through this period of growth and evolution,” said Liz Shuler, president of the national AFL-CIO. “I look forward to working with her and all state federations to continue to advance workers’ rights and build the labor movement’s next chapter. Working together, we will continue to fight for human dignity and respect in the workplace – both inside and outside the movement.”
Ferritto, an Erie native, joins Shuler as a notable trailblazer becoming the first ever-female president of the PA AFL-CIO. She is a member of AFSCME, where she served as the President of her Local Union before joining Council 13 staff in 2010. She was a trusted part of the AFSCME leadership team where she has served as an Organizer and as part of the Grievance & Arbitration and Resources & Education teams.
“The labor movement is never about the person behind the podium, but the people in the movement and I am honored to be backed by the minds, voices, and vision of the 700,000 union members under the PA AFL-CIO,” said Angela Ferritto. “The labor movement was formed to protect the dignity and safety of workers and those ideals will serve as my north star as I take up the mantle during this consequential time.”
Ferritto is an instructor at the Regional Northeast Regional Union Women’s Summer School; Council 13’s Next Wave Steering Committee, which is a program designed to recruit and engage younger members; Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) statewide President, and is active in Central Labor Councils in Erie, Crawford and around the Harrisburg region.
“Angela has the head and the heart to lead the PA AFL-CIO,” said Richard Bloomingdale, president emeritus, PA AFL-CIO. “A pervasive anti-union sentiment requires a courageous leader like Angela – she is among the state’s most effective organizers and arbitrators; has a strong command of the issues that matter to union families and heart for carrying the union tradition to the next generation of workers.”
Ferritto noted that upon taking office she intends to review internal policies and processes. “Unions were formed in large part to create guardrails to protect members from unfair treatment and to ensure each person is treated with dignity,” she said. “Ensuring a respectful work environment inside the movement is the foundation of our success.”
The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO represents 700,000 workers from 51 International Unions, and 1,422 Locals in all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.
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