Emil L. Mazey (August 2, 1913 – October 9, 1983) was a Canadian-born American labor union leader. Born in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...

, Mazey moved with his family to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

when he was two years old. He was educated at the

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a four-year Public magnet high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. from the University Cultural Center Association, retrieved June 9, 1001 It was established in 19 ...

. In the early 1930s, he was an organizer of the Unemployed Citizens' League in the city. This led him into work in the labor movement, and he lost two jobs due to his union activity. By 1941, he was working for the

United Auto Workers The United Auto Workers (UAW), fully named International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and sou ...

(UAW), for which he organized workers at the

Ford River Rouge complex The Ford River Rouge complex (commonly known as the Rouge complex, River Rouge, or The Rouge) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan, along the River Rouge (Michigan), River Rouge, upstream from its c ...

. Mazey served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and was assigned as a feature writer for the ''Army Tagalog Times'', based in the Philippines. He used the post to expose government waste, and later to argue that demobilization should be accelerated. He also organized demonstrations in support of faster demobilization. In 1947, Mazey was elected as secretary-treasurer of the UAW. In 1948, he served as term as a vice-president of the

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of Labor unions in the United States, unions that organized workers in industrial unionism, industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in ...

. He organized rallies to oppose the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, which attracted the enmity of

George Meany William George Meany (August 16, 1894 – January 10, 1980) was an American labor union administrator for 57 years. He was a vital figure in the creation of the AFL–CIO and served as its first president, from 1955 to 1979. Meany, the son of a ...

, who supported the war. He supported the union's 1968 disaffiliation from the

AFL-CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...

. In 1970, he briefly served as acting president of the union, when Walter P. Reuther died. Mazey retired in 1980, and died three years later.

References

1913 births 1983 deaths Trade unionists from Saskatchewan American trade union leaders Canadian emigrants to the United States {{trade-unionist-bio-stub