BCTD elects McGarvey president

Former secretary-treasurer takes reins after death of Mark Ayers

THE GOVERNING BOARD of the Building and Construction Trades Department, in a special meeting April 16, unanimously elected Sean McGarvey President of the BCTD. His election followed the sudden death of BCTD President Mark H. Ayers, 63, on April 8. McGarvey had served as the department’s secretary-treasurer since 2005. The board also posthumously elected Ayers President Emeritus by unanimous vote.

McGarvey began his career with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) in 1981 as an apprentice glazier with Glazier’s Local 252 in Philadelphia, Pa. He graduated to journeyman status in 1984 and was later elected recording secretary and business representative of his local. He later was appointed a general president’s representative for the Painter's International, and then Assistant to the General President.

In 2000, McGarvey was elected general vice president-at-large, and in May 2002 he was appointed government affairs director for the IUPAT. Elected BCTD Secretary-Treasurer in 2005, McGarvey was re-elected to another five-year term in August 2010.

Boilermakers International President Newton B. Jones, a member of the BCTD Governing Board, expressed confidence in the choice of McGarvey to head the department.

“During this very sad time for organized labor, as we mourn the loss of our dear friend and Brother, Mark Ayers, it is comforting to know that we have a superb leader in Sean McGarvey,” Jones said. “Sean has the experience, the qualities, and the spirit to continue the department’s extremely important mission of promoting excellence in the union construction industry.”