Jerry Laricchiuta

Laricchiuta is a man of the people, for the people. Perhaps it’s his roots. Prior to his dramatic 2005 union presidential win against Democratic incumbent Jane D’Amico, Laricchiuta, a father of three, was a longtime cook in the Nassau County Correctional Center. Since then, as head of Nassau’s largest public service union—representing 10,000 members—Laricchiuta has stuck to his guns, butting heads with former Democratic County Executive Tom Suozzi and current Republican County Exec Ed Mangano alike in order to protect the jobs of his members. In 2008, he negotiated an eight-year contract through 2015 with raises of more than 3.5 percent per year and full benefits. In 2009, he won a landslide re-election—carrying 91 percent of the vote. Laricchiuta’s repelled attempts to cut crossing guards’ schedules, union busting tactics at Nassau University Medical Center, a Suozzi mandate for hundreds of layoffs or a 7-percent permanent pay cut across the board, and to date, has staved off more than 200 layoffs proposed by Mangano. With Nassau currently in the throes of a fiscal emergency as declared by state watchdog Nassau County Interim Finance Authority (NIFA), Laricchiuta’s biggest battle may be yet to come. One thing’s for certain—he’ll be giving it his all to protect Local 830’s members, fighting the whole way through.      

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011