Martin J. Forde (November 22, 1923 – December 9, 2022) was an American
labor union
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
activist.
Life
Early life
Martin J. Forde was born in
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and emigrated to the United States in 1951. He quickly joined the
Carpenter's Union in New York, becoming a member of
United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local Union 608 on May 11, 1951.
Local 608 Tenure
After working as a carpenter for a number of years and working as a Shop Steward at the World Trade Center, he was appointed an Assistant Business Agent by
Local 608s President
Paschal McGuinness. In 1987, Martin Forde was indicted for extortion and soliciting bribes, along with Johnny O'Connor of Local Union 608. Martin was eventually found guilty of these charges, and was given a suspended sentence on August 31, 1990 on condition of retiring from union office. Local Union 608 subsequently provided Martin with a Lincoln Towncar as a retirement present. Martin continued to exert influence over Local Union 608 policy and politics via his son Mike Forde.
Personal life and death
Martin Forde lived in
Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
and
East Durham, New York. He died at his home in
Woodside, New York on December 9, 2022, at the age of 99.
References
External links
* http://www.local608.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forde, Martin
1923 births
2022 deaths
American trade unionists of Irish descent
Activists from Queens, New York
Trade unionists from New York (state)
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America people
Irish emigrants to the United States