WHEREAS, Ed Gilmartin, an AFA attorney, General Counsel, and beloved member of the staff for 34 years, passed away in late 2024; and,
WHEREAS, Ed was a mentor, a colleague, a trusted advisor, and friend to hundreds of AFA officers and members; and,
WHEREAS, Ed’s legal work won reinstatement and back pay for many of our members, and we have all benefited from his steadfast representation; and,
WHEREAS, Ed’s brilliant courtroom advocacy won the legal precedent that gave our CHAOStm strategy the protection of law and empowered our union – and all workers covered by the Railway Labor Act – with greater leverage in our contract negotiations; and,
WHEREAS, AFA seeks to honor Ed’s legacy of accomplishments and his many years as a devoted colleague and friend;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the AFA Board of Directors hereby creates the Ed Gilmartin AFA Legal Education Scholarship; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a committee appointed biannually by the International President shall award this scholarship to an applicant who seeks to pursue a career in union-side labor law, as a lawyer, paralegal, law clerk, or other similar position in the best traditions of Ed Gilmartin’s advocacy; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, AFA shall accept donations designated to the scholarship fund in Ed Gilmartin’s name and ensure the funding remains adequate to continue the scholarship in perpetuity; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the AFA-CWA Bylaws, Section 1. Paragraph M. shall be amended as follows, adding a new paragraph 3. to memorialize this scholarship:
3. The Ed Gilmartin AFA Legal Education Scholarship shall be awarded to an applicant recommended by a committee appointed biannually by the International President beginning at the 2025 AFA Board of Directors meeting and every two years after that meeting. To be eligible an applicant must be either an AFA member or the child, including stepchildren, of an AFA member, who is pursuing an education in law, paralegal studies, or related fields and who best reflects Ed Gilmartin’s commitment to and advocacy for AFA and the Labor Movement.
ENDORSED UNANIMOUSLY by the AFA-CWA Executive Board on December 18, 2024 with the guidance of the first Presidential Ed Gilmartin Scholarship Committee consisting of Ken Diaz, Doris Millard, and Brian Palmer.
