2013 CGA Dinner Co-Chairs are Stephen Affanato NEMCA and Sean O’Brien, Teamsters #25

With the CGA nominations about to close, the Guild  is truly delighted that these two dynamic young labor relations leaders have accepted Co-Chairmanships for our 2013 Cushing-Gavin Awards Dinner. They are Sean O’Brien, Principal Officer/President of Teamsters Local #25, and Stephen Affanato, Executive Vice President, New England Mechanical Contractors Association (NEMCA).  Their bios below give a glimpse of their remarkable professional accomplishments.

Sean M. O’Brien
Labor Co-Chair, 2013 Cushing-Gavin Awards President / Principal Officer, Teamsters Local 25 Eastern Region Vice-President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Elected President of Teamsters Local 25 in November 2006 at age 34, Sean O’Brien is the youngest Principal Officer in the 113-year history of the organization. As President, Sean represents over 11,000 working men and women throughout Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.

A fourth generation Teamster, Sean worked his way up from driving a truck, to shop steward, to international delegate and Business Agent in 2001. Sean was part of the negotiating team that crafted the highly successful 2002 UPS agreement. In 2003, he was appointed as Trustee of Local 25. In 2006 he was elected President and Principal Officer of Local 25, and subsequently appointed to serve on the UPS National Negotiating team for the largest private employer contract on the planet. In 2011, Sean became the youngest executive board member ever elected to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters as Eastern Regional Vice President.

Sean leads Local 25’s dynamic community partnerships with Autism Speaks, Toys for Tots, Project Purple and many local charities. Since adopting autism awareness early in his first term, Local 25 has raised more than $1.5-million for autism awareness and research, and worked with House Speaker DeLeo on passing the autism insurance bill requiring insurers to pay for autism-related expenses previously not covered.

Last year, Governor Patrick appointed Sean to a 7-year term on the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board as the organized labor representative.

Sean has two sons, Sean, Jr. age 11, and Joseph age 8.

Stephen P. Affanato
Management Co-Chair, 2013 Cushing-Gavin Awards                                                                                                                                           
Executive Vice President
New England Mechanical Contractors Association (NEMCA)

Stephen P. Affanato has been Vice President of the New England Mechanical Contractors Association (NEMCA) since 2009.   A construction industry trade association for over 100 years, the Quincy-based New England MCA represents premier mechanical construction firms throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Before joining NEMCA, Steve was Associate Executive Director of the Building Trades Employers’ Association from 1997 to 2009. 

Reflecting his member-contractors’ focus on securing the best-trained, most-highly skilled and licensed workforce, Steve has served as Employer Trustee of major joint training funds for several building trades, including:

• Painters & Allied Trades DC 35 Joint Apprentice & Training Fund [2003 – Present]
• Plasterers & Cement Masons Local 534 Benefit Funds [2001 – Present]
• Boston Carpenters Training Fund [1998 – 2009]
• New England Carpenters Training Fund [1998 – 2009]
• MA Laborers Joint Apprentice Training Committee [1998 – 2009].

Steve served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer from 1992 to 1996.  He is a 1991 graduate of Merrimack College in North Andover MA, and Milton High School in 1987.  Steve is married, and he has four children.