Labor Leaders on Labor Forum honoring ­president of Utility Workers Union of America

Labor@Wayne will honor Michael Langford, president of the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA), during the Eighth Annual Labor Leaders on Labor Forum, which will be held Thursday, June 20.

Langford will give a keynote speech titled “Unions and the Green Economy” at 11:30 a.m. at Wayne State University’s Student Center Building, Hilberry A room, 5221 Gullen Mall. The two-hour event is free and open to the public.

During a career spanning more than 40 years, Langford has held a variety of union offices. He started in the utility industry at the Detroit Edison Company in 1978. Langford was elected President of the UWUA in 2006, and was reelected in 2011 and 2015. He is a graduate of Wayne State University’s Labor School certificate program.

Langford serves on several boards, including the AFL-CIO Executive Council, the Advisory Board of American Income Life, Midwest Governors Association Advisory Board and Center for Energy Workforce Development Executive Committee. Previously, Langford served on the Council for Adult Experiential Learning’s Board of Trustees and as co-chair of the Council of Competitiveness’ Energy Security, Innovation and Sustainability’s Steering Committee.

“Mike Langford has distinguished himself as one of the nation’s top labor leaders and industry visionaries,” said Marick F. Masters, director of Labor@ Wayne at Wayne State University.

“He recognizes the challenge of a graying energy workforce and has taken steps to promote lifelong learning through the design and development of the Power for America Training Trust. It is indeed an honor to recognize Mike as this year’s Labor Leaders on Labor Forum honoree,” Masters added.

Each year, Labor@Wayne honors American labor leaders for their pioneering work in fighting for worker rights and social and economic justice.

Previous Labor@Wayne honorees include James Hoffa, International Brotherhood of Teamsters president; Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president; Mary Kay Henry, Service Employees International Union president; Joseph Hansen, United Food and Commercial Workers former president; Leo Gerard, United Steelworkers president; and Dennis Williams, United Auto Workers president.

Labor@Wayne includes the Douglas A. Fraser Center for Workplace Issues, the Labor Studies Center, the master of arts in employment and labor relations program, and the undergraduate major in employment and labor relations.