“Ed Doyle and Ross Pepe, who was the longtime president and founder of the Construction Industry Council, were the foundation for the joint labor management cooperation that we in the construction and building trades today enjoy,” commented CIC Executive Director John Cooney, Jr.

“Eddie helped improve labor-management relations in ways too numerous to count,” said Mr. Pepe. “Eddie worked on the cutting edge of practically every major regional labor development over the past thirty-five years. He spearheaded the advent of the project labor agreement (PLA) in the region—a practice that has resulted in higher productivity and employment opportunities for all union members and profitability for the companies that performed the work. There has never been a better friend to the men and women of labor than Edward Doyle.”

Born June 24, 1939 to Edward and Mary Doyle of Yonkers, NY, he attended Yonkers public schools and joined the union as a teenager. He learned the union business sitting in with his father on negotiations and driving with him to construction sites. He became a truck driver at age 18, hauling coal and concrete and servicing oil burners in the late 1950s.

He was recognized early on for his leadership and commitment to union members, and he rose through the ranks to become a vice president and business agent in 1976.

In quick succession, he was elected Secretary-Treasurer and Business Manager in 1985, and on Jan. 1, 1990, he assumed the role of president and business manager.

That same year, Mr. Doyle’s influence extended further when he was unanimously elected president of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Westchester & Putnam Counties, Inc., by the delegates of 17 construction unions, representing some 35,000 union members that include electricians, plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers and heavy equipment operators. During his tenure, the Building Trades performed approximately 95 percent of the county’s nonresidential construction and maintained a decade of labor peace. By hammering out PLAs, it has assured an absence of strikes and a more reliable pace of work on more than $2 billion worth of new construction since 1994, explained union advocate Roy Barnes, Esq.

“Eddie’s tenure was marked by a commitment to building consensus among contractors, unions, municipalities and government entities,” Mr. Barnes recently said.

Mr. Doyle was an early pioneer of the prehire contract known as the project labor agreement which, more specifically, was designed to protect area standard wages, workplace safety and local hiring of skilled tradesmen on major construction projects.  Among the early projects in the region that were built by the PLA procurement process championed by Mr. Doyle were the Federal Courthouse in White Plains, The Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Hospital and the Ridge Hill Shopping Center, both in Yonkers, the major reconstruction of the Pepsico World Headquarters in Purchase, NY, and numerous public and private school projects throughout the region.

Topping the list of the hundreds of PLAs Mr. Doyle helped secure were the many restoration projects to maintain the Tappan Zee Bridge and, finally, the $3.9 billion replacement project resulting in its replacement, the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which began in late 2012.

“Eddie’s success stemmed from his ability to bridge divides without compromising his principles,” said Operating Engineers 137 Business Manager Jeff Loughlin who is now Mr. Doyle’s successor at the Westchester/Putnam Building Trades. “He became a trusted advocate among other labor leaders as well as regional and local elected officials, countless community organizations and the business leaders who help drive our economy.”

Mr. Doyle was also committed to community service, and in memory of his mother and father, he founded the Edward and Mary Doyle Community Assistance Fund, which provided aid to seniors, children and families in need. Among those programs were Vision Quest, which offered free eyeglasses to underserved individuals, and through support for youth sports, Alzheimer’s care and numerous local initiatives.

A family member, Dominick Cassanelli who serves as vice president of Local 456, remembered his grandfather as a person with rare qualities. “To the world, my grandfather was a labor leader, a negotiator and a powerful voice for working people. But to me, he was simply Grandpa—my hero, my best friend and the steady presence I could always count on. He never had to raise his voice to be heard. His strength came from how deeply he cared for the workers he represented, for the community he served and for his family.”

Mr. Cassanelli added, “I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to live up to the example he set and carry his legacy forward with the same quiet pride he always did.”

In a Doyle family statement following his passing, echoed these same sentiments. “Colleagues and friends remember Ed as a man of quiet strength, humility and deep compassion—someone who believed not only in the dignity of work but in the dignity of every person. While he spent his career fighting for fair wages and workers’ rights, those close to him say his greatest impact may have been his unwavering belief in giving back and lifting others up.

“His legacy endures in the communities he helped strengthen, the rights he helped secure, and the spirit of solidarity he so passionately championed. In honoring Edward Doyle’s life, let’s all of us carry forward his example: to stand up for justice, to serve others selflessly, and to never lose faith in the power of unity and solidarity in the labor movement.”

June 24, 1939 – July 20, 2025