Board Of Officers

Pete Meringolo grew up in Manhattan's Little Italy.  He enlisted in the Army in August 1968, and served in the Vietnam War.  Promoted to Sergeant while in Vietnam, he received five medals for combat action while assigned to the 82nd Airborne Combat Infantry Unit.  A disabled Vietnam Veteran, he is extremely proud of his service to his country.  

He started his career in the Department of Correction in 1972.  Ten years later he was promoted to Captain.  In 1987, he was named Operations Captain of the Department's Emergency Response Unit.  The unit, under Pete's command, was responsible for restoring order during two major jail disturbances.  In each instance, he was awarded the Department’s Exceptional Merit medal for his leadership and actions.

His involvement with the Correction Captains’ Association began soon after his promotion, when he was elected union delegate, and in 1991, he was elected president.  He was known for his aggressiveness in obtaining all he could for his members.   He retired from the New York City Department of Corrections in March 2007 following more than 35 years of service.

In 2000, he was elected Chairman of the New York State Public Employee Conference, an organization that has now grown under his leadership to more than 80 unions, representing a wide spectrum of hardworking public employees in all titles.  During his tenure as Chairman, Pete and PEC's legislative team spearheaded the 9/11 Presumptive Disability Law.  This landmark legislation, enacted in June 2005, protects those public employees – and their survivors – who responded and were affected by September 11th.   This is by far the most significant piece of legislation enacted in the Conference's 43-year history.   Following his retirement in 2007, Pete has continued to be re-elected as chairman of the Conference. 

No stranger to controversy, Pete is called upon by the press to offer labor's position on a variety of issues; and has been an invited speaker at many conferences and conventions.   He represents the public employees well at New York's highest political offices, frequently appearing before all levels of New York government.

Pete’s political acumen has been honed in the field and he remains one of the best in the business, well respected on both sides of the aisle.  He has, on behalf of PEC, been instrumental in successful resolution of numerous issues and legislative initiatives that have expanded the quality of life for countless New York public sector workers and their families.   He is extremely proud to have been entrusted with leading the New York State Public Employee Conference’s effective advocacy and strong voice in Albany.

Joseph Mannion was born in Queens, his family relocated to Nassau County Long Island in 1970. He currently resides in North Bellmore, Long Island with his wife Bonnie. They have two sons, three granddaughters and a fourth grandchild on the way.

Joseph received his Associates Degree for Business Management in 1976. He attained the position of Buyer/Department Manager for the Mays Department Store chain where he worked for seven years. He spent a short period living in California until he was called by the New York City Department of Sanitation and was hired in September 1981.

Joseph rose through the ranks very quickly. He was promoted to Supervisor in June of 1986 and his current rank of General Superintendent Level 1 in October 1990.

Joseph became interested in the Labor Movement as a Sanitation Man. Upon being promoted to Supervisor he began going to Union meetings and became a Shop Steward. In 1988, he was elected the Boro Delegate for the Queens South Borough. Even after being promoted to General Superintendent Level 1 his passion for the Labor Movement continued to grow stronger.

In 1993, Joseph decided to run for President of the Sanitation Officers Association, SEIU Local 444. Upon his successful election to President and subsequent six unopposed re-elections, he is currently in the 27th year of his Presidency.

Joseph has negotiated successfully many contracts with the City of New York under the Giuliani, Bloomberg and now the de Blasio Administrations. He was part of the 2001 Uniformed Coalition, one of his most memorable rounds of bargaining. Joseph feels that the past several rounds were his most successful. He was able to negotiate seven full time release positions as Business Agents to serve the membership face to face at a moments notice. Their success speaks for itself. He negotiated Dr. Martin Luther Kings’ birthday as a paid holiday that best suited his membership and was able to correct many of the forced injustices that were done in past contracts to his members. He negotiated a new benefit for his Retirees that he believes will be a template for other Unions to follow in future rounds.

Joseph is active in many organizations such as NYS Public Employees Conference (NYSPEC) – Treasurer; Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) – Vice Chair; NYC Central Labor Council (CLC) – Delegate; Angel Guardians for the Elderly (AGE) – Board of Directors; F.&A.M. Wantagh Morton Lodge #0063 – raised 1992; BSA Troop 577 – Past Scoutmaster; and BSA Crew 577 – Past Advisor, to mention a few.

Personally, Joseph also is a dedicated husband, father and grandfather. Joseph and his wife Bonnie celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary in May of this year. He makes sure he saves quality time for his loving family. He tries to instill in his children the importance of values and love for God, Family and this great Country. He is also very proud of his sons’ accomplishments in Boy Scouts: Joseph Jr. became an Eagle Scout on October 12, 2004 and Michael on September 11, 2006 who also earned three palms before his 18th birthday. Joseph Jr. graduated from SUNY Cortland with two Majors and has done his internship in Dublin, Ireland during the summer of 2008. Joseph continued at CW Post completing his Masters.  Michael graduated from Hofstra University, majoring in Accounting. Michael was awarded the Hofstra “Presidents Award” Scholarship.

Christopher Erikson was born in Flushing, New York on August 24, 1955.  He was accepted into Local 3’s Electrical Apprenticeship in July of 1975. During his apprenticeship, he enrolled in the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies and earned SUNY Associate and Bachelor of Science Degrees in Labor/Management Relations. In March of 1989, Mr. Erikson was appointed a Local 3 Business Representative responsible for the Maintenance Division by Business Manager Thomas Van Arsdale.

On July 13, 2000, he was appointed Assistant Business Manager of Local 3's Maintenance Department.  He has successfully negotiated over 150 collective bargaining agreements, resulting in improved pensions and benefits that provide a higher degree of security for tens of thousands of Local 3 members. He serves on the Executive Boards of the NYC Building and Construction Trades Council, and the NYC Central Labor Council, is a Delegate to the NY Hotel Trades Council, serves as Chairman of the Madison Square Garden Labor Committee and a Director of the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Memorial Association. Christopher is also President of the NY State Allied Printing Trades Council.  He is a member of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), the IBEW Minority Caucus, and the NAACP.

Upon the resignation of Thomas Van Arsdale on October 10, 2006, Christopher Erikson was elected by the Executive Board to fill the position of Business Manager.  He has been re-elected every term since.

Christopher was appointed as Chairman of the International Executive Council of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers on November 10, 2015, effective January 1, 2016.  He was then elected to a five year term in September, 2016 at the IBEW 39th International Convention.

He has been honored by various union and political organizations including theState of Israel Bonds, and the NAACP.  He is a recipient of the 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor award, the 2009 Construction & Transportation Industry Good Scout Award, the 2009 APEC Green Living award; he also received the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) and the “Human Rights Award” from the Jewish Labor Committee.  In 2017, Christopher was awarded the Movement Builders Award by ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York.

Christopher Erikson, a proud Trade Unionist, has been married to his wife Denise for more than 30 years. They have four sons: Christopher Jr., Robert, Nicholas, and Thomas, and one granddaughter, Madeline Ann Erikson.

Under the leadership of President Daniel C. Levler and his Executive Board, our Union not only has a seat at every table, but we are looked upon as independent leaders among lawmakers, community leaders, and other Union officials. President Levler was recognized in 2021 by City & State as one of the top labor leaders in New York State as well as one of the top 100 leaders on Long Island. With strong relationships in both parties, he has played a key role in important issues including defeating the Constitutional Convention and passing Proposition 2 which delivers hundreds of millions for Suffolk’s general fund and kept AME jobs during an unprecedented global fiscal crisis. Recently, President Levler was instrumental in leading the charge to see our 911 dispatchers and operators recognized as First Responders, a designation that was finally signed into law on September 11,2021.

Our Union is highly engaged with the general public through the Suffolk Matters weekly radio show listened to by thousands each week, Mayday Music Festival, and support for charities that play a critical role in our communities. President Levler was also recently appointed Co-Chair of the New York State Public Employee Conference providing a state wide leadership role. His leadership and proven success are unmatched, and as we embark upon a difficult economic climate, President Levler’s diverse skillset and ability to produce results will see our Union through the storm.

Michael O'Meara started his career in law enforcement in 1990 as a Long Island Railroad Police Officer (MTA Police since 1998).  He quickly became involved in the union, and served over the years as PBA Delegate, Secretary, Vice President and finally as President of the MTA PBA from 2013 through May 2023.

He was appointed to the New York State Association of PBAs (NYSAP) Legislative Committee as a lobbyist in 2001, requiring him to be present in Albany for all state legislative session days advocating on behalf of the law enforcement in New York.  He served the association in that capacity for 12 years before being appointed to the position of Treasurer. He eventually ascended to Vice President, and ultimately to President of the association, and continued in that capacity until NYSAP merged with the Police Conference in 2021, when he took on the new role of Executive Director of PCNY.  In May 2023, Michael was elected President of the PCNY.

Michael has also served on the NYS Comptroller's Advisory Council, The Governor's Police Officer of the Year Award Committee, and the Governor’s Police Officer Memorial Advisory Committee.  Before appointment to his current position as a Co-Chair of the NYS Public Employee Conference, he served that organization on its Board of Directors and as a Legislative Director, and several other legislative panels and committees.

Jeanette Mercedes has been President of the Court Attorneys Association of the City of New York since 2020. She has served on the executive board of the Court Attorneys Association for over 20 years, beginning her journey as a union delegate and subsequently serving as Secretary and Vice President. The Association represents Court Attorneys and Referees in Supreme Court and Surrogate’s Court, as well as Referees in Family Court. She is always seeking to enhance the terms and conditions of employment, obtain new benefits and protect the rights of her members who tirelessly serve the public and the Unified Court System. Ms. Mercedes is particularly proud to have recently secured a new paid parental leave benefit for her members and successfully negotiated the 2021-2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Ms. Mercedes, an Associate Court Attorney, has been with the Unified Court System for 27 years. Ms. Mercedes was appointed by the Chief Administrative Judge as a Special Referee for Matrimonial Matters in 2006, and has served as a Special Referee for Election matters.

Over the years, Ms. Mercedes’ wide-ranging responsibilities have included conferencing civil discovery issues in the Intake/CCP Part, drafting decisions and orders in the Guardianship Department, and drafting civil and criminal motion decisions.

Ms. Mercedes has served, and continues to serve on various Supreme Court committees such as the Employee of the Year Committee, has organized breast cancer awareness programs, and was a coordinator for the Matrimonial Fee Dispute Arbitration, Summer Judicial Internship, and Bring Your Child to Work Day Programs for many years. Prior to her employment with the Unified Court System, Ms. Mercedes was an associate at Renner & Associates where she handled civil and criminal matters.

Ms. Mercedes has also been an adjunct professor of legal research & writing at NYC College of Technology for more than 2 decades where she has had the opportunity to mentor many students and aspiring lawyers. She is a graduate of New York University and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law where she was named a Thurgood Marshall Fellow.

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Thomas “Tommy” Shevlin is the President of the Nassau County PBA, the largest law enforcement union in Nassau County. Tommy has become a recognizable figure in organized labor and is respected by his peers, members, elected officials, and the public.

Tommy resides on Long Island with his beautiful wife and two young sons.

In August of 1998 Tommy followed in his father’s footsteps and took the sacred oath to become a NYPD officer.  He worked in the NYPD on patrol and undercover until November 1, 2005, when he was appointed by the Nassau County Police Department.  Tommy worked in the 3rd precinct on patrol for 12 years. While in the 3rd Pct., Tommy was elected as a PBA delegate.  In this position, he frequently witnessed the unmet needs of his fellow officers and their families.

To address these unmet needs, Tommy requested and was reassigned to the NCPD Employee Assistance Office, where he worked as a counselor to help his brother and sisters in blue.   After counseling and assisting first responders, civilian employees, and their families for over 4 years, Tommy considered how he could assist officers more globally. Tommy’s devotion to first responders led him to run for the Nassau County PBA president.

On January 1, 2021, Tommy started his four-year term as the Nassau County PBA President. Being a union leader has its challenges. While performing his daily duties, Tommy maintains his passion for mental health and helping first responders, military personnel, and their families. He focuses on policies that enable law enforcement officers to receive support.  To obtain these services, he lobbies and advocates frequently in Albany to protect employees’ rights, pensions, safety, and wellness.  Tommy has developed a positive working relationship with the Governor’s office and elected officials.  His commonsense approach and willingness to sit down and have the difficult conversations has resulted in many positive changes.  Tommy has been influential in assisting with the passing of bills, including the heart presumption for police officers and tier equity enhancements.  He is honored to represent not only the brave men and women in Nassau County but all the hard-working public employees throughout New York State.