It is with much sadness that we have to report the death of Lew May, a member of our sister union, Unite, in the United Kingdom. He peacefully passed away with all his family around him on the evening of September 16, 2009. Lew had fought a brave battle against cancer but had fulfilled his union duties right up until the end.

Lew was Chairman of the Transport & General Workers Union (T&G), section of Unite, National Passenger Committee and Chairman of the Transport National Industrial Sector Committee. Lew made several visits to the US in support of the Drive Up Standards campaign, most recently in April 2007, as part of an International Transport Workers Federation delegation visit to three First Student yards in New York, and to the First Student Workers Convention held in Jacksonville, Florida in March, 2008.

Lew became a member of the T&G in 1976, joining the Passenger Trade Group Committee in 1994 after being elected as Secretary of his Union Local and from the very start made the impression of a man dedicated to his members and always fought to improve the safety of bus workers.

He was a member of the National Union Committee that negotiated with FirstGroup, a trustee of FirstGroup’s pension plan and also sat on the T&G’s Bus Cab Design Committee and represented his South of England Region members at Labour Party political conferences.

Graham Stevenson, Unite’s National Organiser for Transport, said “Lew May was a stalwart of the T&G's Passenger Services Trade Group for the last quarter of a century. He was no creature of faction or party but saw himself simply as the servant of the union's membership. The enormous pride in his union that Lew held saw expression in a calm determination to ensure that the voice of lay representatives was always heard in the highest of councils. Lew was first amongst equals as the ultimate voice of the common man. The innate honesty which guided him accounts for the surge of affectionate regrets at his untimely passing that the union is now receiving. ”

At this sad time our thoughts and condolences go out to Lew’s wife and family.