Jacob Sheinkman (December 6, 1926 – January 29, 2004) was an American labor union leader. Sheinkman was born in the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, to parents who had recently emigrated from

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. In his youth, Sheinkman attended Evander Childs High School and was active in the

Workmen's Circle The Workers Circle or Der Arbeter Ring (), formerly The Workmen's Circle, is an American Jews, Jewish nonprofit organization that promotes social and economic justice, Jewish community and education, including Yiddish studies, and Ashkenazi Jews, ...

. He served in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

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 ...

, then in the Naval Reserve, where he became a lieutenant. After the war, he studied industrial labor relations at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, then law, and also completed a certificate in economics with the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. After completing his studies, Sheinkman became an organizer with the

International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, then in 1953 switched to work for the

Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA) was a United States labor union known for its support for "social unionism" and progressive political causes. Led by Sidney Hillman for its first thirty years, it helped found the Congress of Indus ...

. In 1958, he became the union's general counsel, then in 1972, he was elected as its secretary-treasurer. The union merged into the new

Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) was a labor union representing workers in two related industries in the United States. The union was founded in 1976, when the Textile Workers Union of America merged with the Amalgamat ...

, and Sheinkman continued as secretary-treasurer, then in 1987, he was elected as its president. As leader of the union, he was prominent in opposition to CIA activities in Nicaragua, and was also known for working with companies in an attempt to persuade them to keep jobs in America. He also served on the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. With the textile and clothing industry in decline, Sheinkman arranged a further merger, which in 1995 formed the

Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees The Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees (UNITE, often stylized UNITE!) was a labor union in the United States clothing industry from 1995-2004. History UNITE-ILGWU/ACTWU Merger UNITE was formed in 1995 as a merger between t ...

. He retired, taking the title of president emeritus of the new union, and instead becoming chair of

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting p ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheinkman, Jack 1926 births 2004 deaths Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America people American labor lawyers Activists from the Bronx Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from New York (state) Trade unionists from New York (state) Cornell University alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford Vice presidents of the AFL-CIO Jewish Labor Committee members