Herman Winter (1885 – January 28, 1959) was an American labor union leader.
Born in Helena, Montana, Winter moved to Kansas City, Missouri at an early age. He became a baker, and joined the Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union of America. In 1903, he was elected as secretary-treasurer of his union local, then in 1908, he was elected as business agent and chair of the Kansas City Central Labor Union.[1]
In 1911, Winter was elected as vice-president of the international union, becoming secretary-treasurer in 1936, and president in 1943. In 1948, he was additionally elected as a vice-president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). He retired from his posts with the Bakery Workers in 1950, but retained his AFL post, and when in 1955 it merged into the AFL-CIO, he was described as "regarded as a kind of father-confessor by those now in the leadership".[1]
In 1957, the Bakery Workers union split over allegations of corruption by its president, James G. Cross. Winter argued that the allegations should be investigated, but had not been correctly raised with the union executive or conference.[2] However, Curtis Sims counterclaimed that Winter had advised him not to raise the allegations, as he believed that he could not win over a majority of the executive.[3] The union was expelled from the AFL, and Winter thereby lost his vice-president post.[4] He died early in 1959.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Sketches of Men Who Comprise Top Echelon of Labor Leadership in United States". New York Times. December 1, 1955.
- ^ "Union aide giving his Cadillac back". New York Times. April 6, 1957.
- ^ "Five More Join Bakers' Revolt". Washington Post. April 6, 1957.
- ^ Directory of National and International Labor Unions in the United States. Washington DC: United States Department of Labor. 1959.
- ^ "Proceedings". Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of the AFL-CIO. 1959.