John Sweeney (labor leader)
| John Sweeney | |
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Sweeney in 2008
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| Born |
John Joseph Sweeney May 5, 1934 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Iona College |
| Occupation | President of the AFL-CIO |
| Spouse(s) | Maureen P. Sweeney |
| Parent(s) | James Sweeney, Agnes Sweeney |
John Joseph Sweeney (born May 5, 1934) is a labor leader and served as president of the AFL-CIO from 1995 to 2009.
Born in The Bronx, New York, Sweeney is the son of James (a city bus driver) and Agnes (a domestic worker), both Irish immigrants. Sweeeny's family moved to Yonkers in 1944, where Sweeney attended St. Barnabas Elementary School and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School. Sweeney's father took him to numerous union meetings, and it is there that Sweeney began his lifelong commitment to the American labor movement.
Sweeney enrolled at Iona College in New Rochelle in 1952. Sweeney worked as a grave-digger and building porter to pay his tuition, and joined his first union at this time. In 1956, he graduated with a degree in economics.
After graduation, Sweeney became a clerk at IBM. But his commitment to the labor movement led Sweeney to take a two-thirds cut in pay to become a researcher with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union in 1956 (now UNITE HERE).
In time, Sweeney met Thomas R. Donahue, then a union representative with the Building Service Employees International Union (BSEIU, now the Service Employees International Union or SEIU). Donahue asked Sweeney to leave the ILGWU, and he became a contract director with BSEIU Local 32B in 1960. BSEIU changed its name to the Services Employees International Union in 1968. In 1972, Sweeney became assistant to the president of Local 32B in addition to his existing duties as contract director. He was elected to the executive board of Local 32B the same year. In 1973, Sweeney was elected vice president of the local.
In 1976, John Sweeney was elected president of Local 32B. He resigned his position as contract director.
Three months after taking office, Sweeney led the 45,000 members of SEIU out on a surprise strike against the New York Realty Advisory Board a day before the union's contract was due to expire. After 17 days, the union won a new contract with significant wage and benefit increases.
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