Rochester Labor Council History: Vignettes

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Ronald G. Pettengill Labor Education Fund

To honor its recently retired president, the Rochester Labor Council in 1997 established the Ronald G. Pettengill Labor Education Fund to inform and educate the greater Rochester community on labor issues and labor history, to further the labor movement, to enhance the skills and knowledge of area rank and file members, and to develop local labor leadership.

In 1998 an endowment account was set up through the Rochester Area Community Foundation which generates spendable interest and builds long-term capacity. In 2002 donors were given the option of contributing to the program account which provides immediate support to labor education projects.

To fulfill its mission the Fund supports a range of educational activities related to labor including Special Events (lectures, performances, exhibits, etc.), Workshops and Conferences, and Community-Based Projects. In its first years the Fund sponsored the following activities and projects:

• Production of a video labor history of Rochester, “Struggle in Smugtown” (2002)
• Annual meetings of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation (2003-2005)
• Design of the RochesterLabor.org web site (2003)
• Preparation of the “Community of Workers” photographic exhibit for web site display (2003)
• “Harvesting Justice,” a conference organized by Rural & Migrant Ministry in cooperation with Centro Independiente de Trabajadores Agricoles (2004)
• Preparation of a publication commemorating the sesquicentennial of Rochester’s central labor bodies (2004-2005)
• “The Future of Labor” workshop series coordinated by Cornell ILR (2005)

The Ronald G. Pettengill Fund has benefited from the support of individuals, unions and friends of labor, including the Rochester legislative delegation, particularly Senator Mike Nozzolio who helped secure grant funding through the New York State Education Department.