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:: Monday, June 14, 2004 ::

Rebels, Reformers, & Racketeers Union Democracy Review
The following is an excerpt from the forthcoming Rebels, Reformers and Racketeers: How insurgents transformed the labor movement, by Herman Benson, published by The Association for Union Democracy. The full table of contents follows. For advance order information, contact AUD aud@igc.org.

Preface

Three hundred and fifty unionists and civil libertarians, assembled in 1983 at the conference of the Association for Union Democracy, remained standing for a few moments in silent tribute to five who died in the battle for decency and democracy in unions. Moved by the gesture, Victor Reuther, veteran leader of the United Auto Workers, said that it was the first time in all his experience that union insurgents, killed for battling for union reform, were publicly honored by so many colleagues.

John Harold, once chief counsel for the Association of Catholic Trade Unionists, remembered John Acropolis, his friend and client, president of Teamsters Local 456 who had been murdered for resisting the mob at the Yonkers raceway and in Westchester County, New York.

Joe Rauh, the eminent civil rights and labor lawyer, spoke of his friend and client, Jock Yablonski, the insurgent miners leader, shot to death along with his wife and daughter at the command of a corrupt union president.

John Burton, former Congressman, recalled Dow Wilson and Lloyd Green, the two leaders of Painter locals in the San Francisco Bay Area, assassinated because they fought for union democracy and threatened to expose union officials and employers who were embezzling workers benefit funds.

Attorney Dan Siegel told of Roberto Flotte who had put together a caucus of white, black, and Mexican worker In Longshormen's Local 6. Murdered outside the union hall.

Just two years before the AUD conference, Gene Viernes and Silme Domingo were assassinated right in the hall of Cannery Local 36 in Seattle. As leaders of an insurgent caucus pledged to oust racketeers, they had just won the election, only to be murdered.

Sudden death made these few memorable. But there have been others, many others, unwept, unhonored, and unsung, who fought that same battle in the labor movement. And others who helped them.

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