Luke has been a Staff Representative of the United Steelworkers (USW) for the past eighteen years, and District Education Coordinator for the past three. Previously, he was an International Representative with the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers International Union (PACE), until that union merged with the United Steelworkers of America in 2005. PACE itself was the result of a merger between the United Paperworkers and the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union, in 1999. Luke had been an International Representative with the Paperworkers since 1985.

As Staff Representative with the USW, Luke represents over 1,800 union members in New York and New Jersey in a variety of industries, ranging from General Manufacturing, Paper & Printing, Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Maintenance, and Non-Profit Organizations in over 24 different bargaining units. As District Education Coordinator, he is responsible for providing training and education to Local Unions throughout District 4, which encompasses New Jersey, New York, the New England States, Delaware and Puerto Rico.

He has served on the Board of the NJ Work Environment Council (WEC) for the last twelve years, and also is on the Steering Committee of Jersey Renews. Luke has served on the Mt. Sinai-Selikoff Occupational Health Clinical Center Advisory Board since it was created and the Lower Hudson Valley Advisory Board since 1995.

In his off hours, he is very active in Freemasonry, and has previously served as Chair of the Warwick NY Town Democratic Committee. He enjoys combining travel and photography, and his work has been published in a variety of books and magazines.

Luke grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and attended the State University of NY at New Paltz, SUNY Empire State College, the National Labor College and the Cornell University – New York State School of Industrial & Labor Relations. He lives in Warwick, NY and is married to Lucinda Fleming, the Chair of the Business Department at SUNY Orange. They have two daughters, Amelia (a Registered Nurse) and Sarah (a College Professor), and two grand-sons, James III and Nicholas, as well as one very attention-starved cat.