{"id":20033,"date":"2015-05-19T13:06:11","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T17:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/?p=20033"},"modified":"2020-09-08T17:27:45","modified_gmt":"2020-09-08T17:27:45","slug":"local-23-member-who-served-in-army-now-fights-against-privatization-volunteers-in-his-community-and-isnt-slowing-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/local-23-member-who-served-in-army-now-fights-against-privatization-volunteers-in-his-community-and-isnt-slowing-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Local 23 Member Who Served in Army Now Fights Against Privatization, Volunteers In His Community, and Isn’t Slowing Down"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Bill<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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To continue honoring those who have fallen defending our country and its freedom as we approach Memorial Day, here is another Member profile, this time of Local 23 member Bill Swartz, who served in the Army:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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For some folks, service to others \u2013 whether through the military or charitable endeavors \u2013 is just a way of life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Local 23 member Bill Swartz is just that kind of guy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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At 76 years young, Bill is employed as a clerk for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) and still has the energy and makes the time to look out for other people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In his earlier years, Bill began a career with GTE\/Verizon and then answered President Kennedy\u2019s call to service when he joined the army during the Cuban Blockade in 1961.  He attained the rank of Sergeant and was part of the Defense Atomic Support Agency which handled communications for all branches of the armed forces.  \u201cWhen I was stationed in Arlington, I worked next to the National Cemetery,\u201d he remembered fondly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Bill returned to enjoy a 36-year career at GTE\/Verizon, where he was a steward, an executive board member and served on the bargaining committee with IBEW Local 1637.  After retiring, he went to work for the PLCB \u201cto make a little extra money.\u201d   Under their contract with UFCW, the PLCB provides preferred hiring practices to veterans.  As a member of UFCW Local 23, Bill has been politically active in fighting against the privatization of that valuable state asset.  He really likes the job and recently decided to accept full-time hours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Bill has a genuine love of working with people and volunteered at the Salvation Army, where he was assigned to the warehouse.  \u201cThat wasn\u2019t what I had in mind,\u201d he laughed, \u201cI wanted to work WITH people,\u201d so he went to work for his church, Our Lady of Mercy in Harbor Creek, PA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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“My wife and I have led the bereavement ministry in our church for over 20 years,\u201d he said.  \u201cThey were so good to me after I lost my father that I wanted to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

\u201cUpon the death of a parishioner or family member, we assess their needs for the funeral, provide counseling for the ceremony, and arrange for the lector, greeters, altar servers and whatever else is required,\u201d he explained.  With a kind, compassionate demeanor, he is exactly the right person to reach out to grieving families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Until very recently, Bill was also the Church\u2019s volunteer groundskeeper, maintaining 13 acres that includes a ball field, pond and picnic area. \u201cI had to give that up when I went full-time at the store,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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He has also been a regular volunteer at the Harbor Creek Food Pantry for many years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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With energy that belies his age, Bill shows no signs of slowing down.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve been a union man all my life,\u201d he said, \u201cand it\u2019s been good.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To continue honoring those who have fallen defending our country and its freedom as we approach Memorial Day, here is another Member profile, this time of Local 23 member Bill Swartz, who served in the Army: For some folks, service to others \u2013 whether through the military or charitable endeavors \u2013 is just a way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[37,7],"tags":[96],"class_list":["post-20033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-retailfood","category-industries","tag-community"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLocal 23 Member Who Served in Army Now Fights Against Privatization, Volunteers In His Community, and Isn't Slowing Down - The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/local-23-member-who-served-in-army-now-fights-against-privatization-volunteers-in-his-community-and-isnt-slowing-down\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Local 23 Member Who Served in Army Now Fights Against Privatization, Volunteers In His Community, and Isn't Slowing Down - 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