Jim has been a proud, active member of Steamfitters Local 420 for 35 years. After graduating from Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, he began his apprenticeship in 1990 and went on to work in both the commercial and industrial fields as a Fitter, Foreman and Steward. He actively participates in local elections, political rallies, labor walks and picket lines.

 

Jim has gained the trust of members, who elected him to serve on the Examining Board in 2004 and then the Executive Board in 2007. In 2010, he had the privilege of being elected to serve as President, where he was a Trustee to all Local 420 benefit funds. He also was a member of the Negotiating Committee and chairman of all Local 420 meetings. Through these experiences and from his attendance at the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans Conferences (NCCMP) and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Conferences (IFEBP), Jim gained valuable knowledge in fiduciary matters that to this day has helped him work with a qualified team to ensure sound, strategic investments that have shored up union funds and brought benefits directly to members and their families.

 

Jim was elected Business Agent in 2013 and then re-elected in 2016. He covered Center City Philadelphia and the Residential Division, in addition to the Metal Trades Division. Then-Business Manager Anthony Gallagher appointed Jim to the position of Assistant Business Manager in December 2018. He later became Business Manager on April 1, 2019, by virtue of Local 420’s bylaws, after Anthony went on to serve the United Association. The members elected Jim as Business Manager in June 2019 and June 2022.

 

Jim has proudly represented the Local Union in varied positions over the years to ensure the voices of 420 members are heard. He was elected and currently serves as the Financial Secretary-Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Pipe Trades, Trustee of the Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council, Executive Board committee member of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, and President of the Mechanical Trades District Council of the Delaware Valley.

 

Service to Local 420 runs deep for Jim. He began as an AFL-CIO delegate, where he served for more than 10 years. He was elected to serve as Vice President of the Delaware County AFL-CIO in 2009. Jim also has been honored to have been elected by the membership to represent 420 as a delegate at the United Association General Conventions in 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021.

 

Jim has been inside the White House in Washington, D.C., and the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg. Regardless of the administration, his leadership is recognized on both sides of the aisle.

 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro re-appointed him to the 13-member Philadelphia Port Authority Advisory Committee, where he represents the Philadelphia Building Trades. He also served on Shapiro’s transition team related to energy and environmental issues. Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity appointed him to the Delaware River Port Authority. Jim also previously served by appointment on the Zoning Board of Adjustments, where he represented both Steamfitters Local 420 and the Philadelphia Building Trades. He is chairman of Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2), which recently receive $18.8 million to begin Phase 1 activities. Jim also serves on Gov. Shapiro’s LNG Task Force Commission as well as the Philadelphia Shipyard Development Corp.

 

Even with his responsibilities on behalf of members, family is still central to Jim’s life. He and his wife, Kim, have been married for 27 years and have four children: daughters Madison, 24, Devin, 22, and Paige, 21, and son, Jake, 19. The family lives in Havertown, Delaware County.

 

As a man of honesty and integrity, Jim believes that as an officer of Steamfitters Local 420, you must lead by example. He has a deep commitment to the principles and values of the Local Union --- traits that were instilled in him by his late grandfather, John Wilson Sr., a 53-year member. In this next election, Jim respectfully asks for members’ continued support to serve Steamfitters Local 420 as Business Manager.