Rob Reed elected president of Laborers Local 110 following election of Ronny Griffin as business manager

By SHERI GASSAWAY
Correspondent

Rob Reed, Laborers Local 110 business agent and recording-secretary, has been elected president of the 3,000-member union, replacing Ronny Griffin, who is now serving as business manager.

Griffin was elected to the position after former Business Manager Don Willey retired last month. Local 110 Business Agent Mark Bielicke will replace Reed as recording secretary.

‘FUTURE OF THIS LOCAL’
“These guys are the future of this local,” Griffin said of Reed and Bielicke. “They are both very smart, Class A laborers and great individuals in terms of their mindset and attitude. I couldn’t ask for a better crew.”

Other Local 110 officers, including Steve Macdonald, the union’s secretary-treasurer, and Jose Gomez, who serves as vice president, will continue in their positions on the executive board.

REED
Reed, of High Ridge, is a 22-year member of Local 110. His father and brother are also Laborers at Local 42, and between the three of them, they have a combined 129 years of experience. Reed started his laborer career at the same company his father worked for at the time, but he joined Local 110 instead.

In 2011, Reed was appointed to the position of sergeant at arms for the union and the following year, he became an executive board member. In 2017, he moved to the business side of Local 110 as a business agent, and two years later he was elected recording secretary.

“I’ve lost jobs over speaking my mind about the union way and what I thought was right, but that’s essentially what got me where I am today,” Reed said. “As long as you’re doing what you can for the membership, you’re doing the right thing, and that’s what I plan to continue to do as president.”

BIELICKE
Bielicke, of Lemay, is a 27-year Local 110 member. He is a fourth-generation union member. His great-grandfather was in the elevator constructors union, and his grandfather and father were in the railroad union.

He began volunteering for Local 110 and Missouri Jobs with Justice 10 years ago. He served as the union’s auditor for five years, and in 2019, he was appointed to the local’s executive board and became a business agent.

“I’d encourage anyone considering a career on the business side of Local 110 to regularly attend union meetings and to really get involved in what’s going on,” he said.

OTHER MOVES
In other moves, Local 110’s Brad Wilfong, who serves as an auditor on the executive board, has been named a business agent, and Adam Kreienheder has joined the executive board.