By Ray Taylor
President, Local 41 of the National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians Communications Workers of America
NABETCWA lost three members in this tragedy. Local 11 NBC New York lost a transmitter engineer by the name of Bill Steckman. After the crash, Bill called Master Control to tell them there was a crash and explosion and that he was evacuating. Bill never made it out. He is survived by his wife and five children.
Tom Pecorelli was a daily hire freelance camera operator working for NBC and a local 53 Los Angeles member. Tom was aboard American Airlines flight 11 from Boston to L.A. He worked for Fox Sports, Entertainment Television and many awards shows including the Emmy’s and the Oscar’s. Tom was known not only for his keen eye but also for his sharp wit. Tom leaves his wife, Kia Pavloff who is pregnant with their first child.
From Local 16, ABC New York Don DiFranco, another transmitter operator, was killed. Don called NBC Master Control like Bill Steckman and said he was evacuating. Tom was never heard from again. Tom leaves his ailing mother and a sister, Lisa Pipitone.
Local 41s Executive Board was proud of the heroic and courageous conduct of the New York City Fire and Police Departments as well as the Ironworkers and other construction workers who worked tirelessly and diligently to rescue victims. We are all Union workers, part of the Labor Movement, and we as so very proud of their selfless contribution in aiding and assisting others in this extreme tragedy.
I ask all our members, in their own fashion, to pray for all the victims and their families. I hope we remember hem by remaining proud Americans, and proud Union members. |
