It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing on Monday, October 15, 2018 of former International Union of Operating Engineers Local 68 business manager and general president Vincent J. Giblin.
A career that began in 1964 as a stationary engineer with IUOE Local 68 in New Jersey, Vincent was elected business manager in 1975 and served in that position for 29 years.
Elected to serve as an International vice president in 1989, he held the position until his election as general secretary-treasurer in 2002. He also served as president of the Northeast States Conference of Operating Engineers and chaired the IUOE stationary committee.
In 2005, Brother Giblin went on to be the general president of the IUOE and held the position until his retirement in 2012.
Outside of the IUOE, he served as chairman of the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and chairman and board member of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
Vincent led the creation of IUOE’s first National Training Fund and transformed the technological infrastructure of his union. He established the Operating Engineers Charity Fund for disaster relief, helping members in distress, and gave generously to Doctors Without Borders for its work after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
A lifelong commitment to Local 68 and the labour movement, Brother Giblin will not be forgotten. May he rest in peace.