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April 24, 2023

The 2023 Albany 40 Under 40 by City and State: The rising stars lighting upstate politics.

Pedro Galaviz

Council Representative, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters

When Pedro Galaviz’s family unexpectedly relocated back to Mexico in 1993, he ended up having to take on work as a harvester after school, putting his young dreams of working in construction aside.

“At a very young age, I was working to support my family,” he says of the difficult transition. “That was hard work down there because opportunities are just not the same as in the U.S. Those humble beginnings are always in the back of my mind.”

With construction still on his mind when he arrived back in the U.S. some years later, Galaviz found work as an apprentice with a union, and it was during that experience that he grew increasingly fascinated by labor unions and their ability to change people’s lives for the better. Galaviz, who is bilingual in English and Spanish, ultimately decided to start working his way up the leadership ranks.

In his current role, Galaviz spends the majority of his mornings looking for new projects for North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and thinking of new ways the union can recruit new members.

“For me, it’s really been about helping union brothers – there’s a satisfaction when someone calls you, and you can point them in the right direction,” he says. “It’s a proud moment when I go out there and bring someone in and hopefully change their lives. I’m very proud to pass that opportunity on that was passed on to me.”