Since 1999, John R. Durso has served as the President of Local 338, RWDSU/UFCW which represents over 19,000 men and women working in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Putnam and Hudson counties, as well as into New Jersey. Local 338’s members include; supermarket and drug store employees, health care workers, pharmacists, delivery workers, dairy workers, and employees at warehouses and numerous other retail food services.
Durso is also the President of the Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, the fourth largest central labor council in the United States, representing 250,000 union members in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
John R. Durso serves as an International Vice President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Vice President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), an affiliate of the UFCW, and a Vice President of the New York City Central Labor Council. In addition, John holds positions on the Towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay Labor Commissions, and the Town of Hempstead Workforce Investment Board.
He is a lifetime member of the New York branch of the NAACP, a board member of the Long Island Association, Vision Long Island, the Italian Hospital Society and the United Way of Long Island. He also serves on Governor Cuomo’s Regional Economic Council, as well as the Advisory Boards of the ENERGEIA Partnership, the Rauch Foundation, John Thiessen’s Children’s Foundation and the Queens Chapter of the American Cancer Society.
Additionally, John is a recipient of the prestigious “Ellis Island Medal of Honor” from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, an international organization that celebrates the diversity, achievements and progress of all ethnic backgrounds and promotes tolerance and cultural awareness.
A great admirer of President Theodore Roosevelt, John believes that his greatest accomplishments are his four children; John Jr. 37, Michael 33, Jessica 27, and Jim 26. He is also a proud grandfather of two. John is married to Peggy, who was herself, a 27 year member of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW.
