As Frank and Monica Maher retire from the top two jobs at Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Local 320 this fall, the husband and wife leave behind a union legacy few other couples can match.

Frank, 79, and Monica, 57, have been together for decades—a major accomplishment, of course. But it's their combined time in the IBEW that really impresses their union brothers and sisters. Together, they've been involved with the Brotherhood for an amazing 95 years.

"We've done this as a team," said Frank, from the couple's home in New York's Hudson River Valley. "But I always know who's in charge. By day, I'm the boss. At home, she takes over."

After serving a tour of duty in the Far East during the Korean conflict, Frank started his union career in 1953, working as a gas mechanic and shop steward at Central Hudson Gas and Electric. By 1960, he was elected president and business manager of his local. He won those top posts again and again for the next 49 years—a tenure that makes him one of the longest-serving business managers in IBEW history.

He got to know his future wife during contract negotiations at a utility company. Monica worked behind the reception desk and watched Frank come in and out, joking with her each time he passed by.

Monica would later become the first IBEW woman to graduate with a bachelor's degree from the labor studies program at Antioch University. She served as president and business manager of the now-defunct Local 2218, until it merged with Local 320 in 1999.

The couple has been together at the helm of their hometown union ever since.

"They are more than just a married couple," said Third District Vice President Don Siegel, who praises the Mahers' work and counts the couple among his friends. "They are also very good partners in leading Local 320."

Making it work has been a balancing act for this match made at the union hall. Monica praises Frank for his listening skills. "He's the negotiator, and he loves to argue," she said. Frank praises his wife for her attention to detail. "She likes to write and read the fine print. It's been the perfect combination," he said.

After nearly a century of combined service, the couple's greatest reward comes from observing the lives of their friends and neighbors.

"My husband has helped make a huge difference in the quality of people's lives," Monica said, referring to Frank's years of negotiations benefiting local workers. "We see families that can send their kids to college, men and women who can retire with dignity and people who don't have to worry when they go to the hospital."

Frank, who made it through 19 or 20 union elections (he lost count at some point), said his proudest career accomplishment is simply that he survived in a tough job all those years. His wife is urging him to spend part of his retirement writing a book about his experiences in the labor movement.

Both plan to keep paying their dues to Local 320. "We've done it for almost a hundred years, between the two of us," Monica laughs. "Why quit now?"

Frank, facing physical challenges, now uses a wheelchair to get around. Still, he and Monica are planning an ambitious road trip soon, with stops in Florida, New Orleans and Memphis. And, as usual, they'll be doing it together.

"We've always been a team," she said. "And so we thought, as a team, we'll just keep on going."