* Press release…

The Illinois AFL-CIO Executive Board elected Tim Drea as President of the 855,000 statewide member organization following the recent retirement of Michael T. Carrigan.

Drea previously served as Illinois AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer for 12 years and will fill the remaining term.

“I am honored and humbled to serve as President of the Illinois AFL-CIO, one of the leading labor organizations in the nation,” Drea said. “I thank Michael Carrigan for his years of service as president and I am excited to continue to represent union members in protecting their rights, working conditions, and safety on the job. The labor movement in Illinois is diverse and united in the common goal of making Illinois a better place for all working families.”

Born and raised in Taylorville, Drea started his career as a rank and file member of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). After being laid-off due to a depressed Illinois coal market, he joined the Illinois State Democratic Staff for five years, and then served as Legislative and Political Director of Local 881 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). He was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO in 2007 and re-elected in 2008, 2012, and 2016. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, he resides in Springfield with his wife Elizabeth. He has four children: Andrew, Bridget, Lillian, and Jack.

The Executive Board also elected Pat Devaney, President of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI), to fill the unexpired term of Drea as Secretary-Treasurer. He started his career as a City of Champaign fire fighter with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1260 in 1995 and currently serves as a lieutenant for the department. He was elected President of the AFFI in 2008, representing over 15,000 fire fighters throughout the state; he also has served as a Vice President of the Illinois AFL-CIO for over 11 years.