Louis Albano

IN LOVING MEMORY OF LOUIS “LOU” ALBANO Lou passed away on April 26, 2017, at the age of 87, in the Atrium Assisted Living Center located in Red Bank, New Jersey. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Lou was the youngest of four sons . He was the child of immigrants and was very proud of his Italian heritage . Although he started his professional life as an artist, working mostly with silk screening, he ultimately became an electrical engineer licensed in both New York and New Jersey. In 1965, he embarked on his career with the City of New York, working as an Examiner for the Department of Personnel until 1970. A stalwart of the municipal labor movement, Lou worked his way up through the ranks of Local 375 of AFSCME, The Civil Service Technical Guild , or “ The Guild” . In 1980, he was elected President of Local 375, a position that he held for an unprecedented seventeen (17) years . In addition to being President of Local 375, Lou also served as Chair of the Municipal Labor Committee, Director of the Civil Service Merit Council, was a member of the Civil Service Practice Subcommittee and a Vice President of District Council 37. Lou was also very instrumental in the composition and preservation of the written history of Local 375. In collaboration with NYU, Lou’s efforts became part of the written history of the labor movement and are contained within the Tamiment Archives at NYU. Lou continued his work in the labor movement well in to his retirement , most recently serving as a consultant to OSA, The Organization of Staff Analysts. In addition, he regularly wrote articles and editorial pieces addressing the concerns of labor in a very anti-union era. Lou was always an advocate of the working man, and was a loud voice against the City of New York and other municipalities contracting out work that had been done by union civil servants. He fought this fight, as he could, throughout the remainder of his life. Lou was also a loving family man and friend to many. He was a loving father to his daughters Janet and Carolyn and an adoring grandfather to his grandson, Charles Louis. He leaves behind his dear companion of thirty five (35)years, Norah Chase, her daughter, Gabrielle Ettlinger and legions of young people , who referred to him as Uncle Lou. Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 6th, 7-9pm and Sunday, May 7th, 2-5pm & 7-9pm at the CUSIMANO & RUSSO FUNERAL HOME, 2005 West 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY. Committal will take place on Monday, May 8th at 11:30 am in St. Charles Cemetery, Farmingdale, NY. Please gather at the funeral home on Monday morning by 9:30 am for prayers and reflection. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to any of the following charities: The Obama Foundation; Planned Parenthood; the Tamiment / Wagner Archives at NYU; Sierra Club; American Heart Assoc.; Amyloidosis Foundation