William Sidell
Encyclopedia
William Sidell was a carpenter and an American
labor
leader. He was president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
from 1973 to 1979.
He was born in Chicago
to Samuel and Fannie (Freeman) Sidell. His father was a cabinetmaker. The family moved to Los Angeles, California
, where Sidell graduated from public high school.
He apprenticed as a carpenter, and in 1939 joined the local in Los Angeles.
He married his wife, Frankie, in 1936 and the couple had three children.
In 1948, he was elected business manager of Local 721 in Los Angeles, and in 1957 secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles District Council of Carpenters. He served as a trustee for the Carpenters Health and Welfare Fund for Southern California, and as a pension trustee for the Carpenters Pension Trust for Southern California.
In 1963, he was elected a vice president of the Carpenters union and served on the general executive board. In 1964, he was elected second vice president, and moved to first vice president in 1969.
After the retirement of president Maurice Hutcheson
in 1972, he was elected president as his successor. The same year, he was elected a vice president of the AFL-CIO
, and served on the executive committee of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO
and chaired the AFL-CIO Committee on Housing (a group which lobbied Congress on housing policy).
President Gerald Ford
appointed him to the President's Collective Bargaining Committee in Construction, but resigned in 1976 when Ford unexpectedly vetoed a common situs picketing bill.
He was considered a successor to AFL-CIO president George Meany
. But when Meany hand-picked his assistant, Lane Kirkland
, as his successor, Sidell and other contenders for the presidency withdrew.
appointed Sidell to the Panama Canal
Commission Supervisory Board in 1980.
In 1976, Sidell agreed to serve on a new AFL-CIO board which would settle jurisdictional disputes arising between affiliates.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labor
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. He was president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America is one of the largest building trades union in the United States. One of the unions that formed the American Federation of Labor in 1886, it left the AFL-CIO in 2001.-Early years:...
from 1973 to 1979.
He was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to Samuel and Fannie (Freeman) Sidell. His father was a cabinetmaker. The family moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where Sidell graduated from public high school.
He apprenticed as a carpenter, and in 1939 joined the local in Los Angeles.
He married his wife, Frankie, in 1936 and the couple had three children.
In 1948, he was elected business manager of Local 721 in Los Angeles, and in 1957 secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles District Council of Carpenters. He served as a trustee for the Carpenters Health and Welfare Fund for Southern California, and as a pension trustee for the Carpenters Pension Trust for Southern California.
In 1963, he was elected a vice president of the Carpenters union and served on the general executive board. In 1964, he was elected second vice president, and moved to first vice president in 1969.
After the retirement of president Maurice Hutcheson
Maurice Hutcheson
Maurice Albert Hutcheson was a carpenter and an American labor leader. He was president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America from 1952 to 1972....
in 1972, he was elected president as his successor. The same year, he was elected a vice president of the 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...
, and served on the executive committee of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO
The Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO is a constitutionally mandated department of the AFL-CIO. It was founded on February 10, 1908, as a way to overcome the jurisdictional conflicts occurring in the building and construction trade unions...
and chaired the AFL-CIO Committee on Housing (a group which lobbied Congress on housing policy).
President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
appointed him to the President's Collective Bargaining Committee in Construction, but resigned in 1976 when Ford unexpectedly vetoed a common situs picketing bill.
He was considered a successor to AFL-CIO president George Meany
George Meany
William George Meany led labor union federations in the United States. As an officer of the American Federation of Labor, he represented the AFL on the National War Labor Board during World War II....
. But when Meany hand-picked his assistant, Lane Kirkland
Lane Kirkland
Joseph Lane Kirkland was a US labor union leader who served as President of the AFL-CIO for over sixteen years.-Biography:...
, as his successor, Sidell and other contenders for the presidency withdrew.
Post-retirement
After his retirement, President Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
appointed Sidell to the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
Commission Supervisory Board in 1980.
In 1976, Sidell agreed to serve on a new AFL-CIO board which would settle jurisdictional disputes arising between affiliates.