AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler Archives

Angela Ferritto has been re-elected as president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and her running mate, Maurice Cobb, a former Bethlehem Steel employee, has been re-elected as secretary-treasurer of the state federation.

The duo were elected by acclamation after running unopposed at the 46th Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention. Immediately following the election, Ferritto and Cobb were sworn in by AFL-CIO National President Liz Shuler, who was attending the state federation’s biennial convention.

“This is a pivotal moment for working people across the country, and particularly here in Pennsylvania,” Ferritto said in a statement. “Now more than ever in a generation, we are seeing historic outpourings of support and highly successful organizing campaigns, as well as legitimate strikes and a resurgence of worker power. My intention is to take the reins of that energy and work to elect people who are prepared to advance the interests of working people across the state.”

Ferritto, of Erie, has been president of the PA AFL-CIO for two years. Previously, she was an organizer for Council 13 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in Pennsylvania.

Ferritto began her affiliation with AFSCME in 2007 while working for the PA Department of Revenue. She served as president of her local union before joining AFSCME in 2010, where she worked in the Grievance and Arbitration Department and currently in the Education Department.

Ferritto also served on Council 13’s Next Wave Steering Committee, a program designed to recruit and engage younger members. She is a past president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) Pennsylvania State Chapter and is president of the CLUW Central Pennsylvania Chapter.

Cobb, a fourth-generation steelworker from Harrisburg, worked as an overhead crane operator at ArcelorMittal (formerly Bethlehem Steel) at its Steelton plant. Cobb held various positions with the United Steelworkers and was vice president of the Harrisburg Region Central Labor Council AFL-CIO.