CWW Member Profiles
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John R. Durso Union President Local 338/ Long Island Federation of Labor Mineola, NY John R. Durso is being recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a Distinguished Union President and in acknowledgment of his work at Local 338 and the Long Island Federation of Labor. Mr. Durso began his career as a deli clerk at Waldbaum’s supermarkets. He provided exceptional service to Waldbaums and Hills stores for over 15 years. In 1984, Mr. Durso switched to a role as an organizer for Local 338, Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). The groups represent a collective of 15,000 members in a wide variety of locations and job roles, like supermarkets, drugstores, group homes, medical cannabis dispensaries, non-food retail, bus drivers, school monitors, and more. In 1999, Mr. Durso took on an executive role as the President of Local 338. He now oversees about 70 people and manages 130 bargaining agreements with employers throughout New Jersey and New York. In 2005, he also began a position as the President of the Long Island Federation of Labor, one of the top four biggest labor councils in the USA. The Long Island Federation of Labor represents more than 250,000 employees across 180 union groups.
order to represent the organization and its members. He is the Chair of pensions, health funds, welfare funds, legal services, medical, and dental prescriptions. Mr. Durso is the International Vice President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Vice President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) – a Council within the UFCW, and Vice President of the New York City Central Labor Council. Actively involved in his community, he also holds positions on the Town of Hempstead Labor Advisory Board, the Nassau County Living Wage Advisory Board, the Town of Oyster Bay Workforce Investment Boards, and the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. He is a member of the Hofstra University Long Island Hall of Fame, and was awarded the Ellis Island Award in 2001 for his support of immigration and diversity. Mr. Durso was honored with the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award in 2009, the Excalibur Award from the American Cancer Society, and the Environmental Award from the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. These distinguished awards are the highlights of Mr. Durso’s career. For more information, visit https://www.local338.org/.
He sits on many boards, including the Nassau Community College Board of Trustees, State boards, and the NCC Foundation board, in
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