Joseph T. Hansen is a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n labor leader, best known for his work as president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).

Early life

Hansen was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1942. He was the eldest of four children. His mother was of Irish descent and his father of Norwegian descent. His family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin shortly before high school. In Milwaukee, Hansen attended Marquette Preparatory School.

Activism and career

Hansen began his career in 1962 as a meat cutter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,Joseph T. Hansen
", UFCW. Retrieved November 18, 2013 where he became a member of Local 73 of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America. He was an outspoken rank-and-file activist who won election to local union office, and in 1973 became an international staff representative. In 1979, the Amalgamated Meat Cutters (AMC) and the Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU) merged to form the UFCW. In 1985, Hansen was appointed UFCW northcentral region director in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and was elected a UFCW international vice president the following year. In 1990, Hansen was appointed UFCW pacific region director in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and four years later became director of UFCW's food processing, packing and manufacturing division. Hansen was elected UFCW international secretary-treasurer in 1997 and international president in 2004.Sprengelmeyer, M.E. (2004) "Union Boss Walks the Line", '' Rocky Mountain News'', November 13, 2004 He was re-elected international president in 2008 and 2013. Hansen is a founder and former chair of the Change to Win Federation.President Obama Announces Members of the President's Council on Jobs and Competiveness
, Newsroom America, February 23, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2013Joseph T. Hansen
, whitehouse.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2013 Hansen is the Founding National Chair of the National Commission on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Misconduct and Violations of 4th Amendment Rights. As UFCW president, Hansen was a driving force in the creation of UNI Global Union in 2004, and served as its founding president.
, unigobalunion.org. Retrieved February 22, 2018 In September 2010, President Obama appointed Hansen to the United States Trade Representatives Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and negotiations and in February 2011, President Obama appointed Hansen to the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

Awards

In 2015, Hansen was presented with the ''Bill Olwell Champion of Equality Award'' for his leadership on advancing LGBTQ issues within the union and beyond.
, ufcwoutreach.org. Retrieved February 26, 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Joseph T. Trade unionists from Illinois Living people 1943 births Activists from Chicago American trade union leaders United Food and Commercial Workers people Vice presidents of the AFL-CIO