| Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 23, 1905 Hell's Kitchen, New York |
| Died | February 16, 1986 Flushing, New York |
| Occupation | Labor leader |
Harry Van Arsdale Jr. (November 23, 1905 – February 16, 1986) was the head of the New York City Central Labor Council.
He was born in Hell's Kitchen, in Manhattan to Harry Van Arsdale I, an electrician and member of Local 3, who was unemployed at the time because of a lockout that lasted from 1904 to 1907. He attended Townsend Harris High School, an experimental school for gifted pupils, but dropped out at 16 in 1921 to go to work. After various jobs, he joined his father in the electrical trade and became a member of Local 3 in 1924.
He married Mary Casey; and together they had two sons, Harry Van Arsdale III; and Thomas Van Arsdale; two daughters, Margaret Van Arsdale and Kathryn Van Arsdale Erikson. At the time of his death, he was married to the former Madeline Reilly.
In 1933 he rose to the leadership of Local Union number 3 of the IBEW, a labor union for electrical workers. He eventually served as a leader of the Building Trades Council in New York City, and was the first President of the AFL-CIO New York City Central Labor Council (CLC). He held this post from its formation in 1958 until his death in 1986.
During Van Arsdale's tenure as Business Manager of his union and the CLC, he introduced employer-funded pension systems in the building trades and created a community for electrical workers and their families to live called Electchester in Queens, New York. He also was responsible for the organization of the taxi drivers in New York City and was a driving force in organizing hospital workers in the city. The hospital workers union, SEIU 1199, later became one of the single largest unions in the city with over 100,000 members.
In 1975, Mayor Abraham D. Beame and Governor Hugh L. Carey used him in the negotiations that created the Municipal Assistance Corporation. Beame named him to a nine-member panel of business, financial and labor leaders who studied the city government.
Van Arsdale is also known for integrating minorities into the ranks of the labor movement in New York and for his friendships with powerful politicians, most notably with Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Robert Moses, and Mayor Wagner.
After his death he was replaced by his son, Thomas Van Arsdale (1924- ), as head of the New York City Central Labor Council. Delegates from the 500 labor unions that make up the Council selected Mr. Van Arsdale over his opponent, Victor Gotbaum, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (DC 37).[1]
There is a street named after Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. in Queens (it used to be called Jewel Ave and now it is Jewel Ave and Harry Van Arsdale Jr Ave) because at one point he lived there. Also, Harry Van Arsdale High School in Brooklyn is named after him.