Jerome Wurf
Encyclopedia
Jerome Wurf (May 18, 1919 – December 10, 1981) was a U.S. labor
leader and president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME) from 1964 to 1981.
Wurf was born in New York City
in 1919. The son of immigrants (his father was a tailor and textile worker) from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he developed polio at the age of four.
Wurf began a career in the American labor movement as a hotel worker organizer in New York City
. He went to work for AFSCME in 1947, then rose through the ranks of New York City's District Council 37
to become its president. In 1958, Wurf wrung from mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr.
an executive order giving the city's workers the right to form unions
, and providing for elections which could establish these unions as exclusive bargaining agents for the workers in various city agencies. District Council 37 won many of the ensuing elections, making it into one of the large public employee local unions in the world.
Wurf was extremely active in the American civil rights movement. He helped establish the first New York state chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE) in the late 1940s. He was a close associate of Martin Luther King, Jr.
, and King was attending an AFSCME sanitation strike
when he was assassinated in 1968. "Let us never forget that Martin Luther King, on a mission for us, was killed in this city. He helped bring us this victory," Wurf later said.
Wurf became president of AFSCME in 1964 as the head of a group of "Young Turks" committed to changing the organization into an effective union. He unseated incumbent president Arnold Zander by just 21 votes, becoming the first challenger to defeat a president of a major AFL-CIO international union since Walter Reuther
had done so in 1946. Through energetic organizing and aggressive bargaining, AFSCME grew rapidly under his leadership from about 220,000 members to just over one million in 1981.
Wurf died of a heart attack at George Washington University Hospital
in Washington, D.C.
on December 10, 1981.
Gerald McEntee
succeeded him as president of AFSCME.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader and president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is the second- or third-largest labor union in the United States and one of the fastest-growing, representing over 1.4 million employees, primarily in local and state government and in the health care industry. AFSCME is part of the...
(AFSCME) from 1964 to 1981.
Wurf was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1919. The son of immigrants (his father was a tailor and textile worker) from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he developed polio at the age of four.
Wurf began a career in the American labor movement as a hotel worker organizer in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He went to work for AFSCME in 1947, then rose through the ranks of New York City's District Council 37
District Council 37
District Council 37 was chartered in 1944 by AFSCME to represent public employees in New York City. It was small and relatively unsuccessful under its first president, Henry Feinstein...
to become its president. In 1958, Wurf wrung from mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr.
Robert F. Wagner, Jr.
Robert Ferdinand Wagner II, usually known as Robert F. Wagner, Jr. served three terms as the mayor of New York City, from 1954 through 1965.-Biography:...
an executive order giving the city's workers the right to form unions
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, and providing for elections which could establish these unions as exclusive bargaining agents for the workers in various city agencies. District Council 37 won many of the ensuing elections, making it into one of the large public employee local unions in the world.
Wurf was extremely active in the American civil rights movement. He helped establish the first New York state chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
(CORE) in the late 1940s. He was a close associate of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, and King was attending an AFSCME sanitation strike
Memphis Sanitation Strike
The Memphis Sanitation Strike began on February 11, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Citing years of poor treatment, discrimination, dangerous working conditions, and the recent work-related deaths of Echol Cole and Robert Walker, some 1300 black sanitation workers walked off the job in protest...
when he was assassinated in 1968. "Let us never forget that Martin Luther King, on a mission for us, was killed in this city. He helped bring us this victory," Wurf later said.
Wurf became president of AFSCME in 1964 as the head of a group of "Young Turks" committed to changing the organization into an effective union. He unseated incumbent president Arnold Zander by just 21 votes, becoming the first challenger to defeat a president of a major AFL-CIO international union since Walter Reuther
Walter Reuther
Walter Philip Reuther was an American labor union leader, who made the United Automobile Workers a major force not only in the auto industry but also in the Democratic Party in the mid 20th century...
had done so in 1946. Through energetic organizing and aggressive bargaining, AFSCME grew rapidly under his leadership from about 220,000 members to just over one million in 1981.
Wurf died of a heart attack at George Washington University Hospital
George Washington University Hospital
The George Washington University Hospital is a hospital in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It opened on On August 23, 2002, with 371 beds in a 400,000 sq. ft. building, housing than $45 million of medical equipment and cost more than $96 million to construct...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on December 10, 1981.
Gerald McEntee
Gerald McEntee
Gerald W. "Jerry" McEntee is an American union activist. Since 1981, he has been the International President of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees , one of the largest and most politically active unions in the AFL-CIO. McEntee succeeded Jerry Wurf as...
succeeded him as president of AFSCME.