Who are or were the great Labor leaders?

[rurallib]

I am off to a Labor Day parade soon and the question just popped into my head. I will make an attempt, but let's face it, historians and 'journalists' do not give these folks much publicity.
Samuel Gompers
Mother Jones
John Lewis
Walter Ruether - was he good for labor?
Hoffa

Yeesh, I can't even name 10. I would add FDR in there. His admin pushed laws to give labor at least a better seat at the table.

[saltpoint]

1. Can I add Robert LaFollette's name?

[rurallib]

4. Good choice!

[saltpoint]

6. Great post, rurallib. I like the emphasis on these folks today. We can't

rely on the media to properly honor the spirit of this holiday.

[Cirque du So-What]

16. Definitely include Fighting Bob

He's been an inspiration to me for a very long time. My daughter lives in Wisconsin, so I'm going to try tying in a visit to Fighting Bobfest one year.

[saltpoint]

17. That is great, Cirque du So-What. LaFollette was the true thing, right there

alive and kicking. He meant a great deal to a lot of people who were weary of spirit. My family tree has roots running through the LaFollette years.

We could sure use more like him.

[H2O Man]

2. Cesar Chavez. n/t

[Cirque du So-What]

3. The teaching of labor history is definitely neglected

There are good resources on the internet for learning and teaching labor history, but that doesn't translate into inclusion of labor history in the classroom.

Here's a webpage from the AFL-CIO website with links to some of the more prominent labor leaders and influential players:

http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/history/history/bios.cfm

The website below outlines a course for actually teaching labor history:

http://www15.inetba.com/saturnuaw/filecabinet/Satfile/heroes.html

[papau]

5. Just about every leader in the CIO pushed for equal rights for minorities - and in the

merger with the AF of L, the CIO position was affirmed by the merged group (ending for the most part at least the official barriers to blacks and other minorities that had existed in some of the locals in the trades.

The integration of the military under Truman was pushed by those in the CIO.

Great labor leaders are perhaps all those that put their life on the line for worker rights - the folks killed by the auto industry hired killers in the late 30's and early 40's were "great leaders" in my opinion.

Those that resisted the CIA attempts to control the unions - through CIA appeals to "patriotism" or fear of the CIA putting out to the FBI that you were "crime controlled" - were great union leaders. The CIA became an arm of the American Corporations under Dulles, justified by his belief that there was economic warfare against American corporations going on.

I guess any of the current and past leaders could be considered "great" - the lack of a "top 10" list notwithstanding.

[Gman]

7. The great Joe Bierne

http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/laborhall/jb.htm

[cosmik debris]

8. I'd like to recognize the followers as well as the leaders

The United Mine Workers Womens Auxiliary is a good example.

And here is a shameless plug for those who might forget.

http://www.santafetrailscenicandhistoricbyway.org/ludlow.html

[billyoc]

9. Harry Van Arsdale

http://www.harryvanarsdalejr.org

A. Philip Randolph

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Philip_Randolph

[MethuenProgressive]

10. Todays it's the shop stewards, the members, the local president

Those are the real leaders of today's unions - the ones who lead everyday where the fight is still being fought. Bless 'em, every one.

[rurallib]

20. Excellent point

These folks are facing a really hostile atmosphere.

[BeatleBoot]

11. This website has a ton of them listed

http://www.infoplease.com/biography/labor-leaders.html

And may I add David Bonior, former Michigan Congressman and John Edwards' Campaign Manager.

[rurallib]

19. Bonior - very interesting

From my alma mater - U of Iowa.

[cosmik debris]

12. Albert Parsons Father of the Eight Hour Day

Hanged after the Haymarket riot in Chicago.

[Doctor_J]

13. reuther gets 10/10 from Michael Parenti - that's good enough for me

I would add Sweeney to the list. He's done a lot in an extremely hostile environment. And of course Chavez.

[GreenEyedLefty]

14. My Grandpa

Fred Ahearn. He was not a leader, per se, but he was one of the original 1937 Sit-Downers.

People DIED for the right to organize. I wish the union and non-union shmucks alike who complain about the unions would realize this.

Also, I would add Senator Ted Kennedy. He's been a friend to labor forever.

[Bluzmann57]

15. In one and only one instance...

I'll say nixon. It was under his watch that OSHA came about. But that is the one and only thing I'll ever give him any credit for. Are you going the the QC Federation of Labor Parade in East Moline? If so, I'll be there as well. Not sure about the picnic yet though. I'll be wearing a Union ballcap. Boilermakers hat.

[cosmik debris]

18. Kick for Labor Day!

[saltpoint]

21. The exchange with rurallib and Cirque-du-So-What upthread prompts me

to include this link to the Fighting Bobfest:

http://www.fightingbobfest.org/

--in case anybody is traveling that way this coming week.

[ProudDad]

22. Joe Hill

Big Bill Haywood, Daniel De Leon, Eugene V. Debs, Thomas J Hagerty, Lucy Parsons, Mary Harris Jones (commonly known as "Mother Jones"), William Trautmann, Vincent Saint John, Ralph Chaplin, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Frank Little, Wesley Everest

And my friend, U. Utah (Bruce) Phillips -- the Golden Voice of the Great SouthWest...who, thank Dog, is still with us...

Wobbly Doxology...

Praise boss when morning work bells chime!
Praise him for bits of overtime!
Praise him, whose wars we love to fight,
Praise him, fat leech and parasite!

- from 34th ed. of Little Red Songbook: "
author unknown perhaps John Neuhaus"

But a Bruce Phillips classic...

http://www.iww.org/


Another great one was C.L.Dellums -- http://www.dickmeister.com/id16.html The father of the former (great) Congressman and current Mayor of Oakland, CA...Ronald V. Dellums

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.L._Dellums

[Forkboy]

23. Here's one that sounded pretty cool...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1725490

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

26. Aw

Thanks. :hug:

Dad greatly admired John Lewis. He liked George Meany more than Walter Reuther but his respect for both men was colored, by the end of their days, by their support of the Viet Nam War, which my parents did not support. (Dad had been to war and had no intention of sending his draft-age sons to fight; he said he would send them to Canada first. Mom - well, Mom was just an isolationist, LOL.)

Dad hated Hoffa just as much as he hated Nixon. The union leader he loved the most was William Winpisinger ("Wimpy"), who was his union's president from the late 70s to the late 80s. Wimpy leaned left of the union mainstream, just like Dad, and Dad idolized him.

Bill Winpisinger on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_W._Winpisinger

[Forkboy]

28. That's cool. I liked this part...

Philosophically he was considered to be to the left of many of his colleagues in organized labor. He was especially concerned about labor's poor public image and saw a need for more imaginative leadership in communicating the labor movement's mission and accomplishments. According to Winpisinger that mission was to serve the nation's oppressed and underprivileged. During his twelve years as IAM President, he substantially expanded the union's human rights, community services, job safety, public relations and organizing programs.

My kind of guy.

Thanks for the history lesson. :)

[Debs]

24. Lots of good choices

I would add Harry Bridges of the ILWU

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

25. Jimmy Hoffa was infamous, not great.

He smeared the good name of organized labor. He consorted with organized crime. He did little to benefit his rank and file, and a lot to make his cronies rich and powerful.

Hoffa was a criminal, he deserved his jail time, and whatever happened to him after that - well, when you lie down with dogs...

[Debs]

27. I completely agree

Oh master of the blue horizon

[murdoch]

29. James Connolly

Labor is nothing if not international, so the answer crosses national borders. He worked for the IWW in the US at any rate. He was also a major force in Ireland freeing itself of the English settlement - in the southern 26 counties anyhow.

[Steve_in_California]

30. Don't forget Cesar!

To that list add Cesar Chavez.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

31. Yes, Cesar Chavez was a great labor leader

We supported his boycotts back in the 60s. His groundbreaking work should never be forgotten, yet I did forget him. Thank you for posting his name.