WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured Above (Photo Courtesy of Jamestown AFL-CIO President David Wilkinson) – From Left to Right: 2014 George Ritzer Memorial Labor Award Winner and New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Representative Valerie Hagglund, Jamestown Councilman and Jamestown AFL-CIO Labor Council Board Member George Spitale (Wearing One of WNYLaborToday.com’s Sharp Black Polo Shirts); and Jamestown Labor Council Board Member and Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 807/Unit 6300 President Steve Skidmore.  The Annual Ritzer Memorial Labor Award Was Presented to Hagglund During Ceremonies That Were Held at Jamestown’s Bergland Park On Labor Day Earlier This Week.

(JAMESTOWN) – “My Mom Always Used to Say, if You Want Good Leadership, Ask a Woman,” is How Jamestown AFL-CIO Central Labor Council President David Wilkinson Put it as he Presented Valerie Hagglund With the 2014 George Ritzer Memorial Labor Award Earlier This Week During Labor Day Festivities Held at Bergland Park in This Southern Tier City.

The Annual Ritzer Labor Award is Given to an Individual That’s Active in Both the Jamestown Labor Movement and the Local Community.  The Jamestown Labor Council Honored Hagglund at the Labor Day Event, Which Actually Took Place on Monday/Labor Day - After Heavy Rains Postponed the Event for a Day. 

Hagglund is Only the Second Woman to Receive the Labor Award, Wilkinson Tells WNYLaborToday.com: “It’s Well Deserving.  She’s Committed to Our Community and I’m Happy to See a Woman Receiving This Award.”

Hagglund, Who Serves as Co-President of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Local 04-217, Was Praised for Her Dedication to Her Union and the Jamestown Community.  She’s Employed as a Para-Professional for the Jamestown School District and Has Been Active in Her Union for the Past 18 Years.  Hagglund – Who’s Married to Stephen Hagglund, Has Three Children and Four Grandchildren - Served Two Years as Secretary for the Association of Jamestown Para-Professionals at NYSUT Local 04-217.  She Served for 16 Years as President.  After Taking a Two-Year Break, Hagglund Ran Again for Union Office and Was Elected Co-President of the NYSUT Local Back in May (2014).

Wilkinson Provided the Following Labor and Community Background On Hagglund When Presenting Here With the Ritzer Labor Award:

“Valerie Gives One-Hundred-Percent to the Members of Her Union and is Available Twenty-Four/Seven.  Valerie’s Negotiated Five Contracts and is in the Process of Negotiating Another.  She’s Won Many Grievances for Her Members.  She’s Attended Labor Rallies for the Labor Council.  Val’s ‘Made a Difference’ By Being Involved in Her Community.  She Was an Officer in PTA and PTO, ‘Room Mother’ for All Her Children, Den Mother in Cub Scouts and Collected for the March of Dimes.  She’s Volunteered During Open House and Family Game Nights.  She Also Was Active in the Lakewood Baptist Church and Worked as Sunday School Superintendent and Sunday School Teacher, and Helped in Children’s Church and Served for Many Years on the Nominating Committee.  She Also Helped Out for Vacation Bible School.  Val Was a Chairperson, Along With Her Husband, Serving on the Grace Home’s Board of Directors.  These are Retirement Homes Connected With the Lakewood Baptist Church.  She Also Served as Treasurer for These Homes.  At New Hope Community Church, Val’s On the Board of Christian Education, the Out Reach Committee and Serves as Church Moderator.  She Also Works in the Nursery, is the Children’s Church Moderator and Serves as Assistant Treasurer.  She’s Served on Interview Teams – Twice, for the Selection of an Assistant Principal at Persell Middle School.  She Also Served on the Interview Committee – Twice, for the New Superintendent of Jamestown Public Schools.  And Val’s Also Represented the Support Staff On the Shared Decision-Making Committee at Persell Middle School.”

The Jamestown Labor Award was Named After George Ritzer, a Jamestown Area Labor Leader Who Served as President of the Jamestown Central Labor Council for More than 20 years, as well as President of United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1.  Past Awardees Include: The Late Cattaraugus/Allegany AFL-CIO Central Labor Council President Hobart Rhinehart (Also a NYSUT Member); Jack Rudy, Recently-Retired President of the Jamestown Central Labor Council and a Member of CSEA Local 807; and Last Year to Wilkinson, Who Also Serves as Business Manager of Jamestown-Headquartered IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local 106.