Joseph Reilly
City and State: Westbury, New York.
Current Company and Position: President of Local 45 Carpenters Union of NYC and a business agent for the NYC District Council of Carpenters. Also, an elected Delegate from Local 45 to the NYCDCC.
Family: Father of two Daughters Maggie and Andie Reilly.
First Job: At 13 I worked with my best friend’s father doing sidewalks and stoops in our neighborhood.
What it taught me: It taught me that hard work and a good work ethic pay well and gives a large measure of pride in seeing something built better than it was before I got there.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Show enthusiasm for the task at hand and always be teachable. Being successful in construction is not by accident and you can learn a lot from successful people in all aspects of your life.
Who is your hero and why? JFK. He spoke of doing you part in society and giving more than taking. He also believed in the equality of people no matter what their background is. A true representation of the ideals of what this country was founded on, which sadly isn’t always the case today.
Biography: Joseph Reilly is the fifth of five children born to Irish Catholic parents from NYC. Grandson of four Irish immigrants that made good in a time when it was very rough for Irish to succeed in the early 1900s. He joined the carpenters as an apprentice, winning the coveted “Golden Hammer” from the carpenter’s apprentice program. He became a Shop Steward, an executive board trustee for Local 45. With hard work and determination, he became the recording secretary, vice president and finally the President of Local 45. He never forgot where he came from giving back with volunteer work with Catholic charities, and volunteer work for the Union distributing school backpacks for school children, turkeys at thanksgiving, and toys at Christmas and 3 kings day. He is a mentor to apprentices becoming the chair for the first apprentice committee in the NYC DCC for Local 45. He continues the work of uplifting and preserving the ideals of the Labor movement. He also takes an active role in local Politics in NYC working alongside of Council members, congressman and women and Senators.
