Rest in Peace, Brother Dennis Duffey
Dennis C Duffey, 77, of Perrysburg Ohio, passed away peacefully with his family by his side after a courageous and hard fought 2 ½ year battle with lung cancer. Dennis was a presence larger than life and was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, “GG Papa”, and passionate labor leader.
After he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy, Dennis was accepted at IBEW Local 8 in 1968 and began a 50 year affiliation with the electrical union. Not one to sit and wait for things to happen, Dennis got involved in the IBEW. He served as a trustee to the Local 8 Health and Welfare Fund and the Local 8 Pension for 13 years beginning in 1983. He also served as a business agent recruiting new members and contractors for six years. He was elected President of Local 8 and served from 1983-1989. In 1992 he was elected Business Manager, running the daily operations of the Union, and served five consecutive terms until his retirement in 2007. He grew the union by 60% and implemented several new programs. Dennis initiated the IBEW-JATC School-to-Work program, helped develop the Ohio Institute of Fair Contracting, and developed, implemented, and incorporated the 1st Labor Management Cooperation Committee. He was elected President of the Northwestern Ohio Building Construction Trades Council from 1997-2007.
"Brother Duffey was a great friend and a first-class trade unionist who was always ready to lend a hand, stand on principle and lead big programs to help working people," said Tim Burga, President of the Ohio AFL-CIO. "The legacy of accomplishments that Dennis leaves for his union and the broader labor movement is one of great importance and will benefit working families well into the future.”