20 Facts About George Barasch

George Barasch was a US union labor leader who led both the Allied Trades Council and Teamsters Local 815, representing a combined total of 11,000 members.

George Barasch was the first labor leader to create a union anti-crime department, and he was instrumental in eliminating racketeering and organized crime from much of local union life in New Jersey and New York City in the early 1950s.

In 1964, after spending over two decades fighting for the rights of workers to organize and thrive, Barasch created the Allied Educational Foundation as an independent organization that would continue to advance the education and rights of working Americans outside the labor arena.

George Barasch remained Chairman of the Allied Educational Foundation for 49 years until his death, at 102.

George Barasch immigrated with his family to the US as a young boy and obtained his first job at 14 with Ye Colonial Sweet Shop in 1925.

George Barasch graduated from St John's University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science in 1934, and enrolled in St John's University School of Law in September 1935.

George Barasch was later issued a charter for a second union in 1952 to aid in his expansion efforts in New York when he began having jurisdictional disputes with Teamsters locals.

George Barasch oversaw and successfully negotiated through several strikes, including a notable strike at Coty's, Inc perfumers in 1950 of 500 employees seeking a $5 per week raise.

George Barasch led a unified effort through his Allied Trades Council to expose and eliminate racketeering from union life.

George Barasch was the first labor leader to create an anti-crime department within a union, employing a criminologist who consulted with them on their rounds of unionized plants to identify and weed out racketeering.

Farber plant set for Korea, George Barasch worked with the employees to eliminate this communist element from the union.

George Barasch stayed on with the Teamsters Union, serving as secretary-treasurer of the Drug, Chemical, Cosmetic, Plastics and Affiliated Industries, Warehouse Employees, Local 815 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and president of the Allied Trades Council.

George Barasch remained in these roles until 1964, when he formed and served as chairman of the Allied Educational Foundation.

In July 1963, George Barasch found himself pulled into the investigations, when he obtained an order temporarily stopping execution of a federal subpoena requesting records on two Teamster Union welfare funds associated with overseas research foundations.

On June 1,1966, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller announced that George Barasch had voluntarily moved the funds in question back under the control of the New York State Insurance Department after nine months of negotiations.

In particular, George Barasch believed that for United States citizens to adapt and live successfully in the context of change they must be educated on their rights and civic responsibilities as Americans, have the ability to critically evaluate and obtain accurate information from the media, and take ownership of their health and live longer, more active lives.

In 1964, George Barasch created the Allied Educational Foundation as an educational and charitable organization based on his beliefs focused on a mission of improving the lives of working men and women through education and legal advocacy.

George Barasch helped organize the Union Mutual Benefit Association to promote and protect the interest of retirees and organized many health and welfare conferences.

George Barasch continued as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Allied Educational Foundation until the time of his death, at 102 years.

George Barasch was presented with achievements and honors from the following organizations:.