TWU mourned the passing on Sept. 11, 2008 of Local 100 stalwart Peter G. “Pete” Lynch, who served TWU Local 100 for 30 years as a member and officer prior to his retirement in 1995. He was 73 and died of complications from heart surgery.

Lynch, a tough-on-the-outside tattooed veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a no nonsense representative for workers in the Line Equipment and Signal Division of Local 100, was at heart an engaging, witty sweetheart of a man beloved by the Local 100 office staff.

He served as a member of the Local 100 Executive Board, Chairman of Line Equipment and Signal Division, Staff Representative and Assistant to the President of Local 100 during the stewardships of Sonny Hall and Damaso Seda.

As Assistant to the President, Lynch served as a liason for the Local with the Mayor’s office, the City Council and Albany. Also, he was largely responsible for the formation of the Coalition of MTA Employee Unions and served as its first Treasurer. The Coalition, for the first time, brought together all the unions representing workers at NYC Transit, MABSTOA, Metro North, Long Island Railroad, Long Island Bus and the Triboro Bridge and Tunnel Authority to deal in strength with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

After retirement, he embarked on a second career as a charter boat Captain out of Bay Harbor Islands, Florida and, to no one’s surprise who knew him, politician.

In 2002, the TWU Express ran an article about Pete’s post-retirement exploits under the headline, “Unlike Old Soldiers, Retired TWU Officers Don’t Fade Away, They Continue to Shake Things Up.”

He told the Express at the time that he had fulfilled a life-long dream with the charter business. He quipped at the time: “As a union rep, I was a fisher of men. Now I’m just a fisher of fish.”

During that same time, however, he and fellow residents of Bay Harbor Islands (near Miami) opposed plans for high-rise developments in their community. Lynch, relying on his union background, successfully marshaled the community against the plan, and was elected in 2002 to the five-member Bay Harbor Islands governing council. He was named Vice Mayor in 2004 and Mayor in 2005.

As Mayor, Lynch drew upon his union negotiating skills to forge an agreement between the Town and the Police Department that was widely credited with improving police officer relations and morale. He also secured a Police Patrol Boat for the department to improve security on the community’s waterways.

The Bay Harbor Islands “NewsWaves” publication said in its obituary on Pete: “It was through his concerted efforts that he brought Bay Harbor Islands to the forefront of the Miami Dade League of Cities, setting an example of how government can work with the majority of its constituents and Council in harmony.”

Pete is survived by his wife, Iris, son Kevin, daughter, Tara, and four grandsons.