The Peggy Browning Fund 2021 New York Virtual Awards Program

About Our Honoree Joseph J. Vitale Last December during the pandemic, the labor community lost a dedicated labor attorney and the Peggy Browning Fund lost a good friend. We were all saddened to hear the news and send our deepest sympathy to his firm, family and friends. Joseph J. Vitale was a partner at Cohen, Weiss and Simon since 1999, having joined the firm ten years before. He represented public and private sector labor unions in all aspects of litigation before federal, state and bankruptcy courts, arbitration boards, and federal government agencies, as well as in collective bargaining, union organizing campaigns, strategic planning, and union governance matters. Joe also represented union- affiliated employee benefit plans in a wide variety of litigation. Joe gained a reputation as a fierce union advocate, gifted litigator and strategist, representing a number of union and fund clients in the building trades, postal, nursing, education, airline, maritime, and moving and storage industries. In recent years, much of Joe’s work occurred behind the scenes as chair of the firm’s Management Committee, a role he assumed in 2016. As chair, Joe was immersed in every aspect of the firm, from its day-to-day management to IT, decorating and general well-being.