SAMUEL STATEN SR

Oct 1, 1935- April 26,2016 

Samuel Staten Sr. -- Iconic labor leader and Humanitarian - - was the longtime Business Manager of Laborers' Local 332 from 1978 to 2008. The Samuel Staten, Sr. Pre-Apprenticeship Program (SSSPAP) is named for and dedicated to his memory. SSSPAP is modeled after the successful Diversity Apprenticeship Program (DAP), a pre-apprenticeship training program established by Staten in 2000.
 

Mr. Staten came up through the ranks working 10 years as a construction laborer before becoming a field representative in 1970, assistant business manager in 1973, and being
elected to the office of business manager in 1978. He retired from that position in 2008.
 

In 1994, Mr. Staten was approached by public housing tenants who asked him to provide opportunities to public housing tenants to become laborers. In response, he created the
Philadelphia Revitalization and Education Program (PREP) to give public housing tenants a pathway to becoming laborers.
 

In 1999, Black elected officials and community organizations raised issues regarding the lack of opportunities for Black people to gain entry into Philadelphia Region building trade
unions. At the request of Governor Tom Ridge, Mr. Staten assembled a group of labor and community leaders, non-profit and educational institutions to find a solution. From those meetings the Diversity Apprenticeship Program (DAP) was established. DAP was successful in placing over 400 people of color and women into the skilled trade construction unions and over 380 in non-construction jobs.