Focus Leadership Blog

To mark the upcoming occasion of AFL-CIO Day (Dec. 5th), here's a write-up on the organization's first president, George Meany.

Name: George Meany

Occupation: First president of the AFL-CIO, from 1955-1979.

Career Highlights: A humble New York plumber who got into the labor movement instead of rescuing princesses named after fruit from weird spiky turtles. Assumed presidency of the New York State Federation of Labor and served until 1939. Also served on the National Labor Relations Board during World War II. Went on to lead the AFL-CIO in 1955, where he purged "leftist" unions from the fold as a sternly anti-communist believer in the cooperation of labor and capital. Worked closely with Jay Lovestone's Free Trade Union Committee to organize unions overseas - unfortunately, this meant helping Latin American dictators oppress the same workers Meany otherwise spent his life trying to help. I guess having the last name "Meany" requires living up to it at some point in one's life.

Dominant Pattern(s): Driver and Organizer. A career in the labor movement wouldn't amount to much without the latter option. Meany managed to merge the AFL and the CIO towards the goal of higher living standards for working people, which requires both the ability to get people to work together and the tenacity to make sure they get things done.

Recommendation(s) for Improvement: Collaborator, big time. Meany's pit boss instincts often left minorities, consumers, and workers in non-organized urban areas out in the cold. He also chased a lot of unions that didn't fall into line with his politics out of the AFL-CIO; Walter Reuther yanked the UAW out after years of friction between himself and Meany, and they didn't rejoin until after both men had died. Meany's stubbornly conservative views are a mark of the times he lived in, though, and it's weird to recommend Pattern Strengthening exercises to a dead guy who was reacting to very specific circumstances while he was alive. Still, if any frowny post-war leftovers are reading this, listen to some Eddie Vinson records and try the Sitting Bounce. It'll help your people skills and, considering how old you probably are, your digestion as well.