Labor picnic to commemorate Rich Dulka

The MidEastern Illinois Labor CouncilÕs 25th annual labor picnic will honor longtime labor activist Rich Dulka.

Illinois AFL-CIO President Margaret Blackshere and UPI President Sue Kaufman will preside at the festivities from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 at Fox Ridge State Park, Charleston. Union members, past and present, and their families are invited. Fox Ridge State Park is located seven miles south of Charleston on Route 130.

A free lunch of roast beef, salads and drinks will be served. The Will-He-Picket Band will provide music, and the Democratic Booster Club will pop popcorn.

Pro-labor candidates for national and state offices have been invited to make brief comments, including

• Josh Hartke, running for the seat in the 15th District, U.S. House of Representatives,

• Chuck Hartke, running for re-election in the 108th District, Illinois House, and

• John Hayden, running for the seat in the 110th District, Illinois House Democratic gubernatorial candidate

Rod Blagojevich, who, according to Martha Crowder, co-chair of the Coles County Democratic Booster Club, may attend. Area union leaders will discuss the importance of labor activism at this critical time in working familiesÕ lives and remind union voters how union leaders work with pro-labor elected representatives in Springfield and in Washington.

The MILC labor picnic will be renamed the Rich Dulka Labor Picnic.

"Carrying on RichÕs legacy is the right thing to do. He was absolutely vital to the development of MILC, and we miss him a lot," said Diane Schaefer, MILC secretary.

"Rich died two days before Christmas last year, and I feel honored to have been with him at last yearÕs picnic," she continued.

Rich Dulka spent many years as president of the Coles County Labor Council, later renamed the MidEastern Illinois Labor Council. He was active in the University Professionals of Illinois, Local 4100, IFT, AFT, AFL-CIO, serving as Eastern chapter president, legislative chair, Committee on Political Education chair, pension committee chair and convener of the UPI Retirees Chapter.

He was inducted into the UPI Hall of Fame in October, 2000.

"Rich, along with Bill Hollada and J.T. Slaughter, co-founded MILC, an organization dedicated to working for laborÕs interests in this area," said Don Tichenor, MILC President.

"We plan to continue their work and also to honor recently retired Ramon Weirman at this yearÕs picnic. Weirman also spent decades, keeping MILC viable and the picnic an annual event. The dedication and contributions of these and a couple other long-time MILC members have largely gone unrewarded, and we want to make up for that."