SR0621 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0621 LRB104 20880 LAW 34547 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Eric M. Dean on the occasion of his retirement as president of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers; and

WHEREAS, Eric Dean, born and raised in Chicago, began his career as an ironworker after joining the apprenticeship program as a fourth-generation member of Local Union No. 63 in December 1980, completing his apprenticeship in 1984; he worked as a journeyman, foreman, and apprentice instructor before becoming a local union officer in 1989, and he ultimately held various offices within Local Union No. 63; and

WHEREAS, Eric Dean was appointed general organizer of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers in 1999, working in the Department of Ornamental, Architectural and Miscellaneous Metals; he became president of the Chicago and Vicinity District Council of Iron Workers in 2005; he was appointed 9th general vice president in 2008; he was elected as general secretary of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers by delegates to the union's 42nd International Convention in 2011; during his tenure, he graduated from the Harvard Labor Trade Program in 2013; and

WHEREAS, Eric Dean was unanimously elected general president by the General Executive Council of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers on April 22, 2015, which became effective on July 1, 2015; he was then elected as general president for a five-year term by the delegates to the 43rd International Convention in August 2016; and

WHEREAS, Eric Dean further served the union through his work as secretary of the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP), a position he was elected to in 2015, and as a member on the Governing Board of Presidents of North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and the Executive Council of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), representing 130,000 union ironworkers; and

WHEREAS, Eric Dean provided more than four decades of dedicated service to the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, during which his unwavering leadership strengthened the union, expanded opportunities for working families, and raised the bar for safety and solidarity across North America before concluding his tenure on December 31, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Eric Dean is the husband of Judy, and they are the proud parents of three and grandparents of six; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Eric M. Dean on his retirement as president of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, thank him for his continued service and dedication to the union and its members, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Eric Dean as an expression of our esteem and respect.