A Message from Business Manager Chris Erikson
This is my last Rank & File as your Business Manager. I will be retiring effective at the end of this month. I hope you have enjoyed these “Business Manager’s Messages” that I have been sending to you every other week and even weekly during the height of the Covid-19 crisis, as much as I have enjoyed writing them since July 2018. They were always from my heart. We have faced many serious challenges over the years, and I always tried to keep you informed. I fulfilled a responsibility to serve the membership and tried to do it with distinction, honesty, and integrity. Those are values that were instilled in me by Harry and Thomas Van Arsdale and values that I have instilled in my sons as well.
I am confident that your new Business Manager will continue that legacy. Support your leadership and each other, brothers and sisters. I am leaving with the hope you will do everything you can to keep the Union strong so that we will continue to have progress. I am joining the ranks of thousands of retired Local 3 members and will live in dignity as they do, enjoying all the benefits that our Union has negotiated on our behalf and continues to improve for us. Mentor the next generation of our younger members because your future depends on it.
We are in a good spot right now, and the future is bright. “Eternal vigilance is the price of good unionism,” as Harry taught us. Never forget it. Remember to work safe, be productive, and be active, and you too will one day retire in dignity. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the honor to serve you and your families. I love this Union and have been blessed with 50 years of membership. I couldn’t have done it without my wife, Denise, supporting me every step of the way.
Keep the Union Strong, brothers and sisters, and God bless you all.
