The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) announced today that John Ballantyne, the Council's Executive Secretary-Treasurer (EST) has been approved by the New Jersey State Senate to join Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield's Board of Directors. Ballantyne was confirmed for a four-year appointment on Horizon's Board of Directors after a full State Senate vote on June 29th.

Ballantyne's appointment to the Horizon board was initially approved by members of the State Senate Judiciary Committee after a regimented vetting and confirmation process on June 26th.

"I'm honored to be confirmed for this important role at the largest healthcare insurance organization in the State of New Jersey," said Ballantyne. "I will continue to work hard every day to influence important healthcare decisions that impact millions of working people in New Jersey."

In his role as NRCC's EST, John leads one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast, comprising of nearly 40,000 members throughout the states of New Jersey and Delaware, plus regions in Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. He oversees the NRCC's business strategy, financial planning, contract negotiations, contractor relations, training and recruiting efforts.

"Every decision I make as the head of the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters is focused on aggressively advocating on behalf of not only thousands of carpenters in the Northeast, but fighting for workers and human rights for ALL workers in our region," said Ballantyne. "We work every day to protect the rights of our members, to ensure they have the healthcare benefits they need to care for themselves and their families and to ensure that they can retire with dignity with sufficient retirement savings."

In addition to his role as NRCC's EST, Ballantyne is a Trustee on the Northeast Carpenters Funds, the Carpenters Benefit Funds of Philadelphia & Vicinity, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters Funds and the Carpenters Local No. 491 Funds. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Carpenter Contractor Trust.

Ballantyne is active in his community and also serves as a Commissioner for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and the Board of Trustees for the Passaic County Community College Foundation.

About the NRCC

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today's construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: www.northeastcarpenters.org; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; or Twitter: https://twitter.com/nrccarpenters.