The ATU is sad to report the passing of former ATU Local 85-Pittsburgh, PA Financial Secretary-Treasurer John Remark, who also worked at the International as a Research Assistant and the Maintenance Training Coordinator.
Remark began his career as a maintenance worker at the Port Authority of Allegheny County in 1964. He rose up through the ranks of the Local to serve as Financial Secretary-Treasurer for 22 years until he retired in 1994. Throughout his career, he fought hard for the rights and dignity of his members and robust transit funding in halls of the state capitol in Harrisburg, PA. Even as a retiree, Remark remained highly involved with the Local.
“John was not only a dedicated, loyal union leader, John was a personal friend of mine. He was there for me & my family 35 years ago to assist my father, a former overhead lineman at Port Authority, with a much-needed healthcare issue after I was in a very bad auto accident,” said Local 85 Financial Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Di Perna. “John was well known in the labor movement throughout the state, and if you mentioned John Remark to a legislator in Harrisburg, they knew him. Because of John’s wise decisions & knowledge as Financial Secretary, I can proudly say that with over 3,000 retirees and their families, the ATU Local 85 pension plan is one of the best in the nation. John Remark is a true ATU legend, and he will be missed by so many. May he rest in peace.”
In his roles at the International, Remark worked with ATU Locals to develop innovative training and apprenticeship programs to improve our members’ skills and expertise. During this time, he worked closely with the International Transportation Learning Center to help build labor-management partnerships to raise training standards and create state-of-the-art apprenticeship programs that have served as a building block for ATU workforce development programs today.
“John Remark was dedicated leader for ATU Local 85 in Pittsburgh, PA for more than 30 years who advocated for better wages, improved working conditions, strong health care, and pension benefits for thousands of our members," said ATU International President John Costa. "At the International, John played an important role in developing workforce training and apprenticeship programs at our Locals to ensure our members were prepared to deal with the changing technology in our industry and advance their careers. We send our deepest condolences to John’s family, friends, and our brothers and sisters at Local 85.”