Hamilton Alumni Feature: Ken Stribling

Photo submitted by Ken Stribling.

Maggie Kidd

Ken Stribling is an accomplished Hamilton alumnus from the class of 1970 (see 1970s Hamilton High School: A Look Back for more detail on life at Hamilton during this time). He has built up his organization to be nationally recognized and has a multitude of accomplishments. 

Stribling at a union convention where he met Biden.

Stribling in Congress next to State representatives.

He first was a Teamster trucker for many years and retired from trucking in June of 2010. Part of being a Teamster trucker was receiving pensions, which are payments from your company after you retire, starting from when you retire through the rest of your life. Stribling had been affected by the pension crisis of 2008 and decided to go to a local union meeting of people who were also affected. He attended because he was worried about losing his pension plan, and so were so many other people. Little did he know that this decision would skyrocket an entirely new career in itself. After this meeting, his wife encouraged him to continue attending the meetings. 

An example of a bill he helped write.

Stribling says that he became vice president of the local committee. They soon realized that they needed to create a national committee in order to combat the national pension crisis. He was a part of the Wisconsin chapter, so they met with the other state’s committees. Stribling was asked to be a part of the national committee as a trustee. At the time, there was tension between the current president and vice president, so Stribling was asked to step in as the vice president of this national organization. From his first meeting to where he currently is today, Stribling has made an immense impact on those who depend on their pensions. Today, he is the president of the NUCPP.

A gift from local Teamsters for his hard work to protect pensions.

Since Stribling has been involved, the NUCPP has been able to solve the pension crisis. Stribling is still heavily involved in his work. He says that they now mostly advocate for retirement security and assistance. They are also trying to get more young people involved since his kind of work affects everyone. Stribling is also in contact with many senators and speaks in front of Congress to show how important unions are. He works closely with Congressman Larson of Connecticut to get NUCPP issues into the eyes of Congress.

Meeting Biden at a union convention.

When asked what he finds is his most rewarding accomplishment, Mr. Stribling  said that solving the pension crisis and saving thousands of people’s lives was extremely rewarding for him. Stribling was also able to meet President Biden at a rally for labor workers in Cleveland. At this meeting, Stribling was presented with the Presidential Seal on June 6, 2022.

Stribling’s wife, Bethany.

Even though Stribling has many accomplishments, he still stays humble and is grateful for everything he has been given. His advice for current high schoolers would be to simply try because you never know where life will take you. He says that he never imagined being the president of a national organization, but if had never attended the first meeting, he wouldn’t be where he is today.