HERIBERTO VARGAS

1948 - 2021

VARGAS--Heriberto (Ed) Jr. In sorrow and love, we mourn the loss of Ed Vargas, who lost his battle against cancer October 1, 2021. Born on March 8, 1948, Ed was a veteran labor leader in New York City with more than 40 years of commitment to economic, political and social justice for working families in New York, nationally, and internationally. He started his career as an organizer for the ILGWU, Local 23-25, and held many positions in its successor unions. He most recently served as Director of Labor Relations at the New York State Department of Labor. He was active in Latino labor efforts, and every year for decades coordinated the annual ceremony honoring the victims of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Ed was a proud native of the Ft. Greene Projects in Brooklyn and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He was a passionate, generous, irresistible force, loved working people everywhere, and loved his large family, biological and chosen. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Weiner, his children, Greg, Ariane, and Sofia, grandchildren Caroline and Levi. We are all heartbroken but determined to keep fighting for a better world, as he did. A memorial will be held at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 W. 76 St. at 3pm on Tuesday, October 5. In lieu of flowers, consider donating to the Triangle Fire Memorial at: http://rememberthetrianglefire.org/.