Dennis G. Trainor Elected Vice President of CWA District One

 

  Dennis went to work for the New York Telephone Company in 1969 as a splicer’s helper. He started his union career during the seven month strike against the New York Telephone Company in 1971 when he was elected a shop steward in CWA Local 1101. He was elected chief steward in 1975 and represented the Bronx Construction Department in NY Tel. He held that position for eleven years until he took over the chief steward’s position in the Empire City Subway Company. He negotiated break out wages for many of the crafts in Empire City Subway during bargaining in 1991 and 1994.   In 1998, Dennis was asked to work with the National Union on an organizing campaign in Connecticut. Dennis successfully led a team of organizers in bringing seventy-five hundred Connecticut Union of Telephone Workers (CUTW) members into CWA and was the recipient of the CWA District One Union Builder’s Award for 1999 for that Organizing drive. Dennis remained in Connecticut a few more months and co-chaired bargaining for the new CWA Local 1298 for a new contract with SNET after a successful 28 day strike  Dennis was appointed staff rep in March 1999. He continued to work in Connecticut and was assigned Locals in NY. Dennis also had the responsibility of the new Cell-one unit which became Cingular. Dennis merged all the Cell-One units (Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, Connecticut and Boston into one unit to bargain one contract. Cingular is now ATT Mobility. Dennis lives in Holbrook with his wife, Kathy. He has three married sons - Dennis, Greg and Brian and three daughters-in-law – Dina, Jill and Kate, five grandchildren  -  Jesse, Henry, Julian, Scarlett and Graham and another grandchild on the way.

Dennis G. Trainor was elected Vice President of CWA District One at the 2015 Convention on June 8, 2015.

Prior to being elected, Dennis was appointed Assistant to the Vice President of CWA District One on April 1, 2005. As Assistant to the Vice President, Dennis had the responsibility of Collective Bargaining throughout the District, which involved hundreds of collective bargaining agreements covering all members in District One.  He served as the Verizon Regional Bargaining Chair for the 2008 and 2011 bargaining.   He was also the chair for the AT&T East bargaining for the last five contracts and negotiated a new agreement with Frontier when the company purchased AT&T East last year.

Prior to being named Assistant to the District One Vice President, Dennis held the position of Downstate New York and Connecticut Area Director.  Dennis was appointed the Area Director during bargaining with Verizon in 2003. As the Area Director, Dennis supervised all of the CWA staff assigned to Local Unions in downstate New York and Connecticut and co-chaired the 2003 Verizon Regional Bargaining with the then Assistant to the Vice President Chris Shelton. 

Dennis went to work for the New York Telephone Company in 1969 as a splicer’s helper. He started his union career during the seven month strike against the New York Telephone Company in 1971 when he was elected a shop steward in CWA Local 1101. He was elected chief steward in 1975 and represented the Bronx Construction Department in NY Tel. He held that position for eleven years until he took over the chief steward’s position in the Empire City Subway Company. He negotiated break out wages for many of the crafts in Empire City Subway during bargaining in 1991 and 1994.  

In 1998, Dennis was asked to work with the National Union on an organizing campaign in Connecticut. Dennis successfully led a team of organizers in bringing seventy-five hundred Connecticut Union of Telephone Workers (CUTW) members into CWA and was the recipient of the CWA District One Union Builder’s Award for 1999 for that Organizing drive. Dennis remained in Connecticut a few more months and co-chaired bargaining for the new CWA Local 1298 for a new contract with SNET after a successful 28 day strike 

Dennis was appointed staff rep in March 1999. He continued to work in Connecticut and was assigned Locals in NY. Dennis also had responsibility over the new Cell-One unit which became Cingular (now AT&T Mobility). Dennis merged all the Cell-One units (Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, Connecticut and Boston) into one unit to bargain one contract.

Dennis lives in Holbrook with his wife, Kathy. He has three married sons (Dennis, Greg and Brian) and three daughters-in-law (Dina, Jill and Kate). He has five grandchildren (Jesse, Henry, Julian, Scarlett and Graham) and another grandchild on the way.

Dennis with CWA President, Chris Shelton.