Not every labor victory is measured in dollars and cents. Some of the most meaningful wins in the labor movement are structural — they happen when workers who previously had no collective voice gain one. That kind of victory is at the heart of one of Dennis L. Martire‘s proudest achievements: his leadership in forming LIUNA Local 11.
The context was a major infrastructure project in Virginia: the expansion of Route 495 Hot Lanes, contracted to Fluor-Lane. The workers on this large-scale project were operating without union representation, and Martire recognized an opportunity to change that. As vice president and regional manager of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) for the mid-Atlantic region, he was positioned to take action — and he did.
Martire led the initiative to organize the workers on this project and offer them a genuine choice: continue as they were, or come together as a union and gain the protections, benefits, and collective bargaining power that comes with membership. More than 200 workers ultimately made their decision at the ballot box, and the result was a resounding vote in favor of joining LIUNA Local 11.
The impact of that vote rippled well beyond the immediate project. Virginia’s construction industry took note. The organizing campaign was recognized as one of the single largest union victories in the history of Virginia’s construction sector — a significant benchmark in a state not known for easy union wins.
For Martire, the outcome was deeply meaningful. It demonstrated the enduring relevance of union organizing and the genuine desire among workers to have a collective structure fighting for them. It also illustrated what effective leadership can accomplish when it meets workers where they are, listens to their concerns, and offers a compelling vision for something better. The story of Local 11 is a testament to what organized labor can still achieve — and to the kind of leader that Dennis L. Martire consistently shows himself to be.