Distinguished Leadership Award: John Drinkwater

This June, our Director of Government Affairs John Drinkwater was honored at the Massachusetts AFL-CIO’s 2023 Richard L. Trumka Educational Conference alongside former Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Nikki Decter, General Counsel of the Massachusetts AFLCIO. John was presented with the Distinguished Leadership Award.

John Drinkwater has spent his entire career in the labor movement. He started as an intern with the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and went on to serve as their Workforce Development Specialist, Chief of Staff, and Legislative Director. While serving as Legislative Director, John helped pass bills that provided protections for temporary workers, a domestic workers’ bill of rights, a $15 minimum wage, and the strongest statelevel response to the anti-union Janus Supreme Court decision in the country. The 2018 ruling was a blow to workers, cutting off crucial funding for public sector unions, and John worked to pass legislation ensuring that unions in the Commonwealth have the tools necessary to effectively communicate with their members.

“Congratulations to John for receiving this award. We’re proud to have him on our staff at District Council 35. John has dedicated himself to the labor movement and works hard for our members every day,” said our Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Christian Brennan.

As DC 35’s Director of Government Affairs, John works on campaigns combatting employee misclassification and wage theft. On behalf of all of us at IUPAT District Council 35, we want to thank John for his work to improve the lives of working people, and all he does for our members.