Last year, yours truly was honored to receive the John L. Lewis Award from the multiemployer benefits industry.  The National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans, http://nccmp.org, selects the recipients.  Here is a list of honorees since the Award’s inception in 2001 as well as a brief note on the reasons for a an honoree’s selection.

JOHN L. LEWIS AWARD RECIPIENTS, 2001 THRU 2015     

1. 2001    Richard L. Trumka, Secretary Treasurer of the AFL-CIO for his work in the establishment of the Center for Working Capital;
2. 2002 Landon Butler, for his work in the creation of the Multi-Employer Property Trust, one of the first and largest union-only job creating REITs;
3. 2003 Martin E. Segal creator and former Chairman of The Segal Company for a lifetime of work in the development and service of multiemployer plans;
4. 2004 Earl Hall, for his work in promoting grass-roots support for our efforts in obtaining relief against the historically unprecedented investment losses suffered in the early 2000s;
5. 2005     John Pappas, a life-long leader in the provision of insurance services to multiemployer plans;
6. 2006 James S. Ray, one of the country’s leading ERISA counsel and a 30 year member of the NCCMP working committee who took the lead in many legislative issues concerning multiemployer plans;
7. 2007 Chris Heinz, for his leadership and support in the effort to obtain funding reform for multiemployer pension plans;
8. 2008 Representative Rob Andrews for assistance in passing the Pension Protection Act;
9. 2009 Vincent Panvini, Legislative Director, Sheet Metal Workers International Association, for leading a successful campaign to prevent taxation of employer sponsored health benefits;
10. 2010 Phyllis C. Borzi, Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefit Security Administration, for a lifetime of service to the multiemployer community.
11. 2011 Michael Sullivan, for his leadership in preserving defined benefit pensions in the Sheet Metal Industry;
12. 2012 Judith F. Mazo, former Senior Vice President and Director of Research of the Segal Company for freely shared expertise addressing complex multiemployer plan issues;
13. 2013 Patrick D. Finley, General President of the Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons International Association;
14. 2014 David S. Blitzstein, retired Special Assistant to the General President for multiemployer funds, United Food and Commercial Workers; and
15. 2015 Marc Le Blanc, retired Fund Administrator and General Counsel, Sheet Metal Workers National Pension Fund, recognizing his career of service to participants in multiemployer pension and health and welfare funds.