Peter Bommarito (May 17, 1915 – September 25, 1989) was an American labor union leader. Born in

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 ...

, Bommarito became a machinist at the

United States Rubber Company Uniroyal, formerly known as the United States Rubber Company, is an American manufacturer of tires and other synthetic rubber-related products, as well as variety of items for military use, such as ammunition, explosives, chemical weapons and op ...

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

, and in 1940 he joined the

United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers of America The United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers of America (URW) was a labor union representing workers involved in manufacturing using specific materials in the United States and Canada. The union was founded in 1935 as the United Rubber ...

union. In 1942, he joined the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, and he served in the Pacific 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 ...

. After the war, Bommarito returned to the Rubber Company, and in 1948 he was elected as treasurer of his local union, rising to become its president in 1957. In 1960, he was elected as an international vice-president of the union, then in 1966 he was elected as its president. As leader of the union, he led a major strike in 1976, which led to a 36% increase in wages. He later centralized bargaining across the four largest rubber companies, something which proved highly controversial with members, but led to improved pay and conditions. However, the union lost members during his presidency, due to factory closures. Bommarito served as a vice-president and executive council member of 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 ...

from 1969. He also served on the Committee for National Health Insurance, and on the board of the

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

. He retired in 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bommarito, Peter 1915 births 1989 deaths American trade union leaders Activists from Detroit Trade unionists from Michigan Vice presidents of the AFL-CIO United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers of America