Peter Kellman
Encyclopedia
Peter Kellman is an anti-war activist, author, and American
labor union
leader and activist.
He is president of the Southern Maine Central Labor Council, and a member of the executive board of the Maine AFL-CIO
.
Among a number of other positions he holds, Kellman is also a researcher with the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy (POCLAD). POCLAD is a project of the Council on International and Public Affairs (CIPA).
in 1945. His parents and their friends communists
, and friends of the family were similar "fellow travelers": communists, socialists
and trade union activists. The Kellman family moved to Maine
, where Peter Kellman grew up and attended school.
In 1965, two years after graduating from high school, he became active in the civil rights movement and joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). SNCC sent Kellman to Alabama
, where he helped coordinate the Selma to Montgomery marches
in support of black voting rights. Afterward, he helped build the Selma Free Library. When SNCC decided to form local political parties in Alabama independent of the Democratic Party
, Kellman was one of the volunteers sent to build the nascent organizations (working in Sumter County, Alabama
).
Returning north after his work for SNCC, Kellman became involved in the American peace movement, where he helped organize the first anti-draft rallies in 1967 against the Vietnam War
.
Returning to New England, in the late 1960s and 1970s Kellman worked as a construction worker, air conditioning repairman, painter and shop floor workers in a rubber mill.
Kellman later became a painter, and was elected steward in the local painter's union
.
Kellman also became involved in the anti-nuclear
movement. In 1977, he worked with the Clamshell Alliance
to build public support to oppose construction of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Station in New Hampshire
and oppose all nuclear power in New England
.
In 1979, Kellman took another job in a shoe factory. He was elected president of Local 82, Shoe Division, of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, AFL-CIO
in Sanford, Maine
.
Moving to New Hampshire
, Kellman worked as an organizer for the AFL-CIO. This brought him his first experience with a strike. Kellman's instinct for building solidarity and his organizational skills "turned a routine strike into a crusade marked by rallies, marches, and emotional meetings." After the strike, Kellman became director of the newly formed New Hampshire Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health.
Kellman returned to Maine, where he joined the staff of the Maine AFL-CIO as an organizer.
began tough collective bargaining talks with the International Paper
(IP) in 1987, the Maine AFL-CIO assigned Kellman to work with the local.
Local 14 of the United Paperworkers' International Union (UPIU, now part of the United Steelworkers
), based in Androscoggin, Maine, faced demands which, on the face of it, seemed unbelievable. Among IP's demands were the elimination of overtime pay on Sunday and no more Christmas Day holiday.
The local union, however, had no history of member activism and little organizational infrastructure. The local community provided little support for the paperworkers' union so long as IP provided well-paying jobs. But within a month of the start of the strike
in June 1987, Kellman had radicalized and energized the factory workers and was building a successful "class-based social movement." The strike by IP's 1,200 workers in Jay generated international attention and even provoked the introduction of a bill to ban striker replacement in Congress.
International Paper immediately fired every single union worker who had struck, and hired permanent replacements.
Although the strike lingered until October 1988, Kellman and the union were fighting a losing battle. Kellman convinced the local union leadership to seek assistance from their parent union and the AFL-CIO. Initially, UPIU leaders agreed to begin a comprehensive campaign
against International Paper. But UPIU was unprepared to engage in such a battle. Neither the local nor the international union had had enough lead-time to conduct research, the unions did not have economic or shareholder leverage against IP, and state and local community leaders were ambivalent about supporting the union. The strikers had little bargaining power once they had been replaced.
Many in the labor movement, including Kellman, argued that UPIU and the AFL-CIO had "sold out" Local 14. In time, Kellman came to moderate his position, arguing that a corporate campaign strategy would have worked but that all organizations involved lacked the organizational expertise and infrastructure and lacked the political will to successfully implement the tactic.
POCLAD was formed by 11 labor, community, political and environmental activists to strategize about the future of progressive and radical social movements in the U.S. POCLAD is a project of the Council on International and Public Affairs (CIPA), a non-profit research and education group.
Kellman is also coordinator of the Jay-Livermore Falls Working Class History Project, and a visiting artist at the Heartwood College of Art in Kennebunk, Maine
.
As part of his work with POCLAD, the AFL-CIO and the Jay-Livermore Falls Working Class History Project, Kellman conducted research into the paperworkers' strike against IP. He turned his research into a book, Divided We Fall: The Story of the Paperworkers' Union and the Future of Labor, which was well-reviewed when published in 2004.
Kellman is also very active in Labor Party
politics.
, Local 1981, United Auto Workers
, AFL-CIO, and a member of the American Federation of Teachers
.
In 2002, Kellman was named a co-recipient of the 2002 Stringfellow Awards for Justice and Peace, given by the Chaplain's Office at Bates College
in honor of peace activist, theologian and lawyer William Stringfellow
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labor union
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 activist.
He is president of the Southern Maine Central Labor Council, and a member of the executive board of the Maine AFL-CIO
Maine AFL-CIO
The Maine AFL-CIO is a federation of AFL-CIO-affiliated labor unions in the state of Maine.The federation lobbies the state legislature and executive branch on issues important to its members, assists its state and local affiliate unions in organizing new members, conducts training and educational...
.
Among a number of other positions he holds, Kellman is also a researcher with the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy (POCLAD). POCLAD is a project of the Council on International and Public Affairs (CIPA).
Early life
Kellman was born in New York CityNew 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 1945. His parents and their friends communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, and friends of the family were similar "fellow travelers": communists, socialists
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and trade union activists. The Kellman family moved to Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, where Peter Kellman grew up and attended school.
In 1965, two years after graduating from high school, he became active in the civil rights movement and joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). SNCC sent Kellman to Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, where he helped coordinate the Selma to Montgomery marches
Selma to Montgomery marches
The Selma to Montgomery marches were three marches in 1965 that marked the political and emotional peak of the American civil rights movement. They grew out of the voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama, launched by local African-Americans who formed the Dallas County Voters League...
in support of black voting rights. Afterward, he helped build the Selma Free Library. When SNCC decided to form local political parties in Alabama independent of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Kellman was one of the volunteers sent to build the nascent organizations (working in Sumter County, Alabama
Sumter County, Alabama
Sumter County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of General Thomas Sumter of South Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 13,763. Its county seat is Livingston.-History:...
).
Returning north after his work for SNCC, Kellman became involved in the American peace movement, where he helped organize the first anti-draft rallies in 1967 against the Vietnam War
Opposition to the Vietnam War
The movement against US involvment in the in Vietnam War began in the United States with demonstrations in 1964 and grew in strength in later years. The US became polarized between those who advocated continued involvement in Vietnam, and those who wanted peace. Peace movements consisted largely of...
.
Returning to New England, in the late 1960s and 1970s Kellman worked as a construction worker, air conditioning repairman, painter and shop floor workers in a rubber mill.
Labor movement activism
In 1976, Kellman was working at a Converse shoe factory in North Berwick, Maine making sneakers. Kellman, who worked in the rubber mill portion of the factory, tried to form a union along with his 500 co-workers. The organizing effort was unsuccessful. But the effect the company's anti-union effort had was a radicalizing one, and Kellman became more and more interested in the labor movement.Kellman later became a painter, and was elected steward in the local painter's union
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades is a union representing about 140,000 painters, glaziers, wall coverers, flooring installers, convention and trade show decorators, glassworkers, sign and display workers, and drywall finishers in the United States and Canada...
.
Kellman also became involved in the anti-nuclear
Anti-nuclear
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes the use of nuclear technologies. Many direct action groups, environmental groups, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, national, and international level...
movement. In 1977, he worked with the Clamshell Alliance
Clamshell Alliance
The Clamshell Alliance is an anti-nuclear organization co-founded by Paul Gunter, Howie Hawkins, Harvey Wasserman, Guy Chichester and other activists in 1976. The alliance's coalescence began in 1975 as New England activists and organizations began to respond to U.S...
to build public support to oppose construction of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Station in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and oppose all nuclear power in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
In 1979, Kellman took another job in a shoe factory. He was elected president of Local 82, Shoe Division, of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
in Sanford, Maine
Sanford, Maine
Sanford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,798 in the 2010 census, the highest of the York County towns, and the 8th largest in the state. Situated on the Mousam River, Sanford includes the village of Springvale...
.
Moving to New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Kellman worked as an organizer for the AFL-CIO. This brought him his first experience with a strike. Kellman's instinct for building solidarity and his organizational skills "turned a routine strike into a crusade marked by rallies, marches, and emotional meetings." After the strike, Kellman became director of the newly formed New Hampshire Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health.
Kellman returned to Maine, where he joined the staff of the Maine AFL-CIO as an organizer.
International Paper strike
When paper workers in Jay, MaineJay, Maine
Jay is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,985 at the 2000 census. Jay, which includes the village of Chisholm, is the regional commercial center.-History:...
began tough collective bargaining talks with the International Paper
International Paper
International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 59,500 employees, and it is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:...
(IP) in 1987, the Maine AFL-CIO assigned Kellman to work with the local.
Local 14 of the United Paperworkers' International Union (UPIU, now part of the United Steelworkers
United Steelworkers
The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union is the largest industrial labor union in North America, with 705,000 members. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, U.S., the United Steelworkers represents workers in the United...
), based in Androscoggin, Maine, faced demands which, on the face of it, seemed unbelievable. Among IP's demands were the elimination of overtime pay on Sunday and no more Christmas Day holiday.
The local union, however, had no history of member activism and little organizational infrastructure. The local community provided little support for the paperworkers' union so long as IP provided well-paying jobs. But within a month of the start of the strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
in June 1987, Kellman had radicalized and energized the factory workers and was building a successful "class-based social movement." The strike by IP's 1,200 workers in Jay generated international attention and even provoked the introduction of a bill to ban striker replacement in Congress.
International Paper immediately fired every single union worker who had struck, and hired permanent replacements.
Although the strike lingered until October 1988, Kellman and the union were fighting a losing battle. Kellman convinced the local union leadership to seek assistance from their parent union and the AFL-CIO. Initially, UPIU leaders agreed to begin a comprehensive campaign
Comprehensive campaign
A comprehensive campaign is labor union organizing or a collective bargaining campaign with a heavy focus on research, the use of community coalition-building, publicity and public pressure, political and regulatory pressure, and economic and legal pressure in addition to traditional organizing...
against International Paper. But UPIU was unprepared to engage in such a battle. Neither the local nor the international union had had enough lead-time to conduct research, the unions did not have economic or shareholder leverage against IP, and state and local community leaders were ambivalent about supporting the union. The strikers had little bargaining power once they had been replaced.
Many in the labor movement, including Kellman, argued that UPIU and the AFL-CIO had "sold out" Local 14. In time, Kellman came to moderate his position, arguing that a corporate campaign strategy would have worked but that all organizations involved lacked the organizational expertise and infrastructure and lacked the political will to successfully implement the tactic.
Current positions
In addition to his work for the Southern Maine Central Labor Council and Maine AFL-CIO, Kellman works as a researcher for the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy (POCLAD). He researches the history of the labor movement and the legal, social and moral development of corporate power.POCLAD was formed by 11 labor, community, political and environmental activists to strategize about the future of progressive and radical social movements in the U.S. POCLAD is a project of the Council on International and Public Affairs (CIPA), a non-profit research and education group.
Kellman is also coordinator of the Jay-Livermore Falls Working Class History Project, and a visiting artist at the Heartwood College of Art in Kennebunk, Maine
Kennebunk, Maine
Kennebunk is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,075 people at the 2000 census. Including Kennebunkport , the population totals 14,196 people...
.
As part of his work with POCLAD, the AFL-CIO and the Jay-Livermore Falls Working Class History Project, Kellman conducted research into the paperworkers' strike against IP. He turned his research into a book, Divided We Fall: The Story of the Paperworkers' Union and the Future of Labor, which was well-reviewed when published in 2004.
Kellman is also very active in Labor Party
Labor Party (United States)
The Labor Party is an American social democratic political party advocating workers' interests. Membership at one point reached about 5,000....
politics.
Memberships and awards
Peter Kellman is a member of the National Writers UnionNational Writers Union
National Writers Union , founded on November 19, 1981, is the trade union in the United States for freelance and contract writers: journalists, book and short fiction authors, business and technical writers, web content providers, and poets...
, Local 1981, United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
, AFL-CIO, and a member of the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
.
In 2002, Kellman was named a co-recipient of the 2002 Stringfellow Awards for Justice and Peace, given by the Chaplain's Office at Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
in honor of peace activist, theologian and lawyer William Stringfellow
William Stringfellow
Frank William Stringfellow was an American lay theologian during the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and career:...
.
Published works
- Kellman, Peter. Building Unions. Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Apex Press, 2001). ISBN 1-891843-09-5.
- Kellman, Peter. Divided We Fall: The Story of the Paperworkers' Union and the Future of Labor. Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Apex Press, 2004. ISBN 1-8918-4323-0
- Kellman, Peter, ed. Pain On Their Faces: Testimonies on the Paper Mill Strike, Jay, Maine, 1987-1988. Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Apex Press, 1998. ISBN 0-9452-5796-1
- Kellman, Peter and Bruno, Ed. "Toward a New Labor Rights Movement." WorkingUSA. Spring 2001.