Trisha Pande Appointed General Counsel of North Carolina State AFL-CIO

On June 4, the North Carolina State AFL-CIO Executive Board voted to appoint Trisha Pande as General Counsel. The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of unions in the state representing over a hundred thousand members. Trisha is succeeding Mike Okun who served as General Counsel since 1978.

As General Counsel to the NC State AFL-CIO for more than forty years, Mike played a critical role in advancing workers' rights in North Carolina. In 1997, Mike took leave from the firm to serve a four-year term as one of the NC State AFL-CIO’s two full-time elected officers, the first private practitioner in the country to be elected to such a position. From standing alongside textile workers organizing at J.P. Stevens in the 1970s, to striking fast food workers today, Mike has served as a pillar of North Carolina's labor movement. Mike's lifelong commitment to putting worker's interests first has been evident whether in the court room, before the General Assembly, or at the union hall.

Mike continues his work at the firm advising unions and employees. “While we will really miss Mike, I am excited that we have Trisha working with us,” said NC State AFL-CIO president MaryBe McMillan. “Trisha knows her stuff, can relate complicated issues in a down to earth, often humorous way, and she is passionate about unions and the labor movement. Mike is definitely leaving us in good hands.”