By Ron Ault, Metal Trades Department President
President Ayers and I enjoyed a special relationship because we had much in common. Both of us came up through the crafts—he was an electrician, I was a Machinist; both Navy veterans—he flew and I floated; and both of us enjoyed a good fight.
Mark was an eloquent, blunt, and forceful advocate not just for construction workers, but for all workers and working families. He was particularly effective in expressing what he liked to call “righteous anger” in the face of injustice. Judging from the reception his remarks always received in his frequent appearances at Metal Trades events, he carried a message that working people need and want to hear. We will miss Brother Ayers, but we will treasure the legacy he leaves us.
On behalf of the membership of the Metal Trades Department, we offer our profound condolences to the Ayers family and we thank them for sharing him with us.