Jacob Potofsky
Jacob Samuel Potofsky (November 26, 1894 – August 5, 1979) was a Ukrainian-born American trade unionist. After emigrating to the United States, Potofsky became an influential figure in the Labor history of the United States. Following his death, President Jimmy Carter issued a statement recognizing Potofsky as "one of the giants of the labor movement"[1]
As a teenager, Potofsky moved to Chicago, and, in 1914 joined the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.[2] Potofsky gained power in the union, become a close partner of Sidney Hillman. In 1946 he succeeded Hillman as president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, a post he held until 1972.[3] Potofsky was noted for his ability to reconcile differences within a union or between union and employer. He was, however, staunchly pro-labor, warning workers that "What you earn at the bargaining tables can be taken away in the legislative halls."[4] His work landed him on the master list of Nixon political opponents.
After his death, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America issued a statement hailing Potofsky, saying that "The life and times of Mr. Potofsky are inextricably interwoven with the growth and stability of the American Labor movement."[5] He died in New York City of cancer in 1979.
Literature
- Potofsky, Jacob (1948). Autobiographical essay in Finkelstein, Louis (1948). American Spiritual Autobiographies: Fifteen Self-Portraits. New York: Harper and Brothers. pp. 226–242.
References
- Notes
- ↑ Gerhard Peters, Death of Jacob Potofsky Statement by the President. American Presidency Project: Jimmy Carter. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=32726#ixzz1wVTTznhd
- ↑ "Jacob Potofsky, Longtime Head of Clothing Workers, Dies at 84," The New York Times, 6 August 1979, Page D9, Column E11 (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F10613FB3E5A12728DDDAF0894D0405B898BF1D3)
- ↑ "Jacob Potofsky, Longtime Head of Clothing Workers, Dies at 84," The New York Times, 6 August 1979, Page D9, Column E11 (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F10613FB3E5A12728DDDAF0894D0405B898BF1D3)
- ↑ "Jacob Potofsky, Longtime Head of Clothing Workers, Dies at 84," The New York Times, 6 August 1979, Page D9, Column E11 (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F10613FB3E5A12728DDDAF0894D0405B898BF1D3)
- ↑ "Jacob Potofsky, Longtime Head of Clothing Workers, Dies at 84," The New York Times, 6 August 1979, Page D9, Column E11 (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F10613FB3E5A12728DDDAF0894D0405B898BF1D3)
- Other sources
- Staff report (June 28, 1973). Lists of White House 'Enemies' and Memorandums Relating to Those Named. New York Times
- Letter to Mrs. Morton Baum on the occasion of the death of her husband, August 1963.