John Sweeney (labor leader) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Sweeney
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Sweeney in 2008
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| President of the AFL–CIO | |
| In office 1995–2009 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas R. Donahue |
| Succeeded by | Richard Trumka |
| 8th President of the Service Employees International Union | |
| In office 1980–1995 |
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| Preceded by | George Hardy |
| Succeeded by | Richard Cordtz |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Joseph Sweeney
May 5, 1934 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2021 (aged 86) Bethesda, Maryland |
| Spouse | Maureen P. Sweeney |
| Parents | James Sweeney, Agnes Sweeney |
| Alma mater | Iona College |
| Occupation | Labor leader |
John Joseph Sweeney (May 5, 1934 – February 1, 2021) was an important American labor leader. He was the president of the AFL–CIO from 1995 to 2009. The AFL-CIO is a large group of many different labor unions in the United States. Labor unions are organizations that help workers get fair pay, good working conditions, and benefits.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Sweeney was born in The Bronx, New York, in 1934. His parents, James and Agnes, were immigrants from Ireland. His father was a bus driver, and his mother worked in homes.
In 1944, John's family moved to Yonkers. He went to St. Barnabas Elementary School and then Cardinal Hayes High School. His father often took him to union meetings. This is where John first learned about the American labor movement and decided to dedicate his life to it.
In 1952, Sweeney started college at Iona College in New Rochelle. He worked as a grave-digger and a building porter to pay for his studies. During this time, he joined his first union. He graduated in 1956 with a degree in economics.
Starting His Union Career
After college, John Sweeney first worked as a clerk at IBM. But he felt strongly about helping workers. So, he took a job that paid much less to become a researcher. He joined the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) in 1956. This union helped people who made clothes.
Later, he met Thomas R. Donahue, who worked for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). In 1960, Sweeney joined SEIU Local 32B as a contract director. This meant he helped workers and their employers agree on contracts. In 1972, he became an assistant to the president of Local 32B. He was also elected to the local's leadership board.
In 1976, John Sweeney became the president of Local 32B. Soon after, he led 45,000 members of SEIU on a strike. A strike is when workers stop working to demand better conditions or pay. After 17 days, the union won a new contract with better pay and benefits. In 1977, he helped Local 32B combine with Local 32J to form Local 32BJ.
Leading the SEIU Union
In 1980, John Sweeney was elected president of the national SEIU union. He worked hard to make the union bigger. When he started, SEIU had about 625,000 members. He encouraged the union to grow into new areas. For example, SEIU worked with other groups to organize office workers and nursing home workers. They also helped maintenance workers in hospitals and offices.
Sweeney also helped SEIU merge with other unions. This meant smaller unions joined SEIU to become one larger union. By 1993, SEIU had more than one million members. It was the first union in the AFL-CIO to reach this size in over 20 years.
Under Sweeney's leadership, SEIU also pushed for new laws. They wanted stronger laws for health and safety at work. They also supported rights for immigrants and paid time off for families. Sweeney also spent a lot of the union's money on organizing new members. He also worked to make the union's leadership more diverse, including more women and minority groups.
Becoming AFL-CIO President
In 1995, John Sweeney and other union leaders felt that the current AFL-CIO president, Lane Kirkland, should retire. They believed the AFL-CIO needed new leadership. They were unhappy because the AFL-CIO had not stopped certain trade agreements or helped pass new laws to protect workers. They also felt the union was not doing enough to fight for workers' rights.
A group of union presidents formed a "Committee for Change." They wanted to remove Kirkland and elect a new president. They chose John Sweeney as their candidate. They also wanted to create a new leadership role for a woman or a minority leader. They chose Linda Chavez-Thompson for this new position.
Sweeney's group called their plan "A New Voice for American Workers." More and more unions supported Sweeney. Faced with this strong opposition, Kirkland decided to resign in August 1995.
After Kirkland resigned, Thomas R. Donahue decided to run for president. He had been Kirkland's loyal helper for many years. However, Sweeney's "New Voice" group already had a lot of support.
The election for the AFL-CIO president was a big public debate. Sweeney's team campaigned hard, promising to focus more on organizing new members. They wanted to spend more money on training new organizers and supporting strikes. They also wanted to change how the AFL-CIO worked to be more fair and include more women and minority groups.
At the AFL-CIO convention in New York City, a record number of delegates gathered. On October 25, 1995, John Sweeney won the election. He had the support of unions representing 57 percent of the AFL-CIO's members. The convention also voted to make the AFL-CIO's leadership council bigger. This helped include more women and minority leaders.
First Years as AFL-CIO President
After becoming president, Sweeney started many new programs. He wanted to increase union membership, especially among younger people. He aimed to spend one-third of the AFL-CIO's budget on organizing new members by 1998.
He also created programs like "Union Summer." This program brought college students to help with union organizing. A new department was also created to focus on working women's issues. Sweeney also set up centers to train political workers and help unions deal with international companies.
In 1997, Sweeney announced more organizing programs. "Senior Summer" trained retired workers to help with organizing and politics. The "Union Cities" effort encouraged local union groups to be more active. The "Street Heat" program helped unions quickly respond when workers faced problems like intimidation.
Challenges and Changes
Over time, some unions became unhappy again. They felt that the AFL-CIO's efforts to organize new members were not working well enough. Some unions even left the AFL-CIO, like the United Transportation Union and the Carpenters union.
A new group called the "New Unity Partnership" (NUP) was formed in 2004. It included leaders from unions like SEIU and the Teamsters. They wanted the AFL-CIO to make big changes. They suggested that smaller unions should merge with larger ones. They also wanted the AFL-CIO to spend much less money on politics and much more on organizing new members.
John Sweeney tried to address some of these concerns. He started a task force to organize workers at large companies like Wal-Mart. He also created a project to help immigrant workers.
The 2005 Convention and Split
In 2005, the debate over the AFL-CIO's future became very intense. The New Unity Partnership group changed its name to the "Change to Win Coalition." This group included five large unions: SEIU, UFCW, the Laborers, UNITE HERE, and the Teamsters. The Carpenters union also joined them.
The Change to Win Coalition wanted major reforms. They asked Sweeney to retire and endorse a replacement of their choice. When negotiations failed, SEIU and the Teamsters announced they were leaving the AFL-CIO. They also boycotted the AFL-CIO convention.
John Sweeney was very upset by these actions. With the Change to Win unions gone, Sweeney was re-elected easily. More unions, like UFCW and UNITE HERE, also left the AFL-CIO.
On September 27, 2005, the breakaway unions officially formed a new labor federation called Change to Win. Even after the split, Sweeney tried to keep communication open with the new group. He focused on making the AFL-CIO stronger financially and politically.
John Sweeney retired as President of the AFL-CIO on September 16, 2009. He was given the title of President Emeritus. In 2016, he received an award called "Roving Ambassador for Peace." This was for his long work in fighting for fairness and good jobs for American workers.
Personal Life
John Sweeney co-edited a study about the labor movement. He also co-wrote two books about unions, including America Needs a Raise: Fighting for Economic Security and Social Justice. He was married to Maureen Power, a former schoolteacher. They lived in Bethesda, Maryland. He had two children, John and Patricia, and one granddaughter, Kennedy.
Sweeney enjoyed playing golf and bowling. He passed away on February 1, 2021, at his home in Bethesda. He was 86 years old.
Images for kids
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John Sweeney in 2008
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Sweeney during his presidency of SEIU Local 32B-32J.
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John Sweeney in October 2008
