Larry Cohen (union leader)

Larry Cohen
4th President of the Communications Workers of America
Incumbent
Assumed office
2005
Preceded by Morton Bahr
Personal details
Political party Democratic
Occupation Trade unionist

Larry Cohen is president of the Communications Workers of America, a 700,000 member labor union representing workers in Canada and the United States. Cohen was first elected to his current position, by acclaimation, in 2005.

A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cohen became active in the union as a state worker in New Jersey, where he led a successful organizing drive which eventually brought 36,000 state workers into the union. In 1980, he was appointed a staff representative. He was promoted in 1982 to New Jersey area director and again in 1985 to assistant to the CWA vice president for District 1. In 1986 he was called on to serve as assistant to the CWA president and director of organizing, a position he held until his election as executive vice president in August 1998.

Throughout his career, Cohen has chaired major contract negotiations in both the public and private sectors, at employers including Verizon and AT&T, as well as Cingular Wireless (now AT&T Mobility). Cohen was one of the first to recognize changes in telecommunications through the convergence of video, voice and data technologies, and the need to unify unionized workers in these sectors. He also has worked to expand CWA – the union now represents workers in information technology and communications; print and broadcast media and publishing; health care, education and public workers; manufacturing and the airline industry.

On the international scene, Cohen has worked to strengthen the effectiveness and solidarity of the international labor movement. He has expanded alliances with CWA’s counterpart unions in Latin America, Europe and Asia, and was elected president of the 2.5 million-worker Union Network International Telecom Sector in 2001, serving until 2007. As president, he built alliances and support for telecom workers around the world, including in Mexico, Taiwan, South Africa, Germany and other countries.

He is a founder of American Rights at Work, and a member of the Democratic National Committee.

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