André Louis Bergeron (1 January 1922 – 19 September 2014) was a French trade union leader. Born in

Suarce Suarce () is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in northeastern France. See also *Communes of the Territoire de Belfort department The following is a list of the 101 communes of the Territoire de Be ...

, Bergeron was brought up in the

Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and non-conformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where they originated from Anglicanism. The group emphasizes ...

faith, but broke with it while still at school, joining the Socialist Youth. He started an apprenticeship in printing, and joined a union affiliated to the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), but the printing company closed in 1939, before he had qualified, and he instead found work with Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he avoided serving in the Nazi forces, and in 1941 was arrested, spending much of the war interned in Austria, undertaking forced labour. After the war, Bergeron moved to

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Territo ...

and to printing, and in 1946, he was elected as secretary of the local typographers' union. Along with the majority of local trade unionists, he left the CGT and joined the new

Workers' Force The General Confederation of Labor - Workers' Force (french: Confédération Générale du Travail - Force Ouvrière, or simply , FO), is one of the five major union confederations in France. In terms of following, it is the third behind the CGT ...

(FO). From April 1948, he worked full-time for the federation as its representative for Belfort, and from 1949, he also led the

Book Federation The Book Federation (french: Fédération du Livre) is a trade union representing workers in the printing industry in France. The union was founded in September 1949 by printing industry workers who supported Workers' Force (FO). The industry wa ...

. He met

Irving Brown Irving Brown (Bronx, November 20, 1911 – Paris, February 10, 1989) was an American trade unionist and leader in the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and subsequently the AFL-CIO. Brown played a prominent role in Western Europe and Africa du ...

, who was helping fund FO with CIA money, and the two became friends, Brown directly funding Bergeron's post. He also helped found the FO Book Federation, and although it saw little success, he was elected to the executive of the

International Graphical Federation The International Graphical Federation (IGF) was a global union federation bringing together unions of printing workers around the world. History Moved to establish the federation began in 1939, when the Lithographers' International, Internatio ...

. In 1950, Bergeron began working in FO's national office, where he was a notable voice in support of

Algerian independence An independence referendum was held in French Algeria on 1 July 1962. It followed French approval of the Évian Accords in an April referendum. Voters were asked whether Algeria should become an independent state, co-operating with France; 99.72 ...

. While initially highly controversial, he was eventually able to get a union position agreed, and his skills in this led him to win election as general secretary of FO in 1963. He was also appointed as a vice president of the

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 when ...

. He largely maintained existing federation positions, pushing for moderate reforms, and working closely with government from both left and right, but strongly opposing the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...

. He championed co-management between workers and employers. In

May 1968 The following events occurred in May 1968: May 1, 1968 (Wednesday) *CARIFTA, the Caribbean Free Trade Association, was formally created as an agreement between Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. *RAF Strike Co ...

, he obtained an increase of 3 francs in the minimum wage, a higher figure than the CGT leadership had requested. Bergeron retired in 1989. He was critical of the more radical positions adopted by his successor,

Marc Blondel Marc Fiacre Henri Blondel (2 May 1938 – 16 March 2014) was a French trade union leader. Born in Courbevoie, Blondel grew up with his mother in Hénin-Liétard, while his father was active in the French Resistance. After the war, the fam ...

. He became president of the Institute for Social History, and wrote several books, including his memoirs. He died in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergeron, André 1922 births 2014 deaths French trade union leaders People from Belfort French World War II forced labourers