August Bellanca (1880–1969) was an American labor activist who was a founder and three-time vice president of the

Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA) was a United States labor union known for its support for "social unionism" and progressive political causes. Led by Sidney Hillman for its first thirty years, it helped found the Congress of Ind ...

(ACWA). The ACWA was formed as an offshoot of

United Garment Workers The United Garment Workers of America (UGW or UGWA) was a United States labor union which existed between 1891 and 1994. It was an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor. History The UGWA was formed in New York in April 1891 and lead ...

and was the result of tensions between the national union and urban locals. Bellanca served as vice president at intervals over a period of fifty years, from 1916-1934, 1946-1948 and also from 1952-1966.LaGumina, Salvatore J. and Cavaioli, Frank. The Italian American Experience: An Encyclopedia. Garland Publishing, New York. 2005. Pp. 58

Early life

Bellanca was born in Sciacca, Sicily in 1880. He migrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1900. He was the brother of

Giuseppe Bellanca Giuseppe Mario Bellanca (March 19, 1886 – December 26, 1960) was an Italian-American aviation pioneer, airplane designer and builder, who is credited with many design firsts and whose aircraft broke many aviation records. He was inducted into t ...

, an aeronautical designer, and Frank Bellanca, a labor leader and businessman. In August 1918, Bellanca married Dorothy Jacobs Bellanca, also a prominent labor leader with origins in the ACWA. Dorothy Bellanca would rise to prominence as a defender of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

among the male-dominated ACWA. They had no children, and lived in New York City. The two devoted their lives to the ACWA and were long-time proponents of

trade unionism A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

Career

Before 1914, the garment workers were part of the

, although after the 1910 Chicago

general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...

, the UGW began refusing to support its members, and even started to actively work against members in urban areas. The UGW had a tendency towards conservatism while the workers had

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

ties. In 1913 Bellanca was crucial in bringing strong support from Italian workers to the 1913 New York Garment workers strike. He concentrated his efforts on preventing Italian scabs from crossing

picket line A picket line is a horizontal rope along which horses are tied at intervals. The rope can be on the ground, at chest height (above the knees, below the neck) or overhead. The overhead form is usually called a high line. A variant of a high li ...

s. Bellanca united with his friend, future congressman and three-term New York City mayor

Fiorello LaGuardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City from ...

, in an attempt to prevent rifts between Italian and Jewish union members. Their combined efforts were successful and served as an introduction between LaGuardia and New York labor leaders. LaGuardia benefited when he ran for mayor in 1933, when he was able to garner support from both Jewish and Italian immigrants. The strike became the final act for the UGW, which once again sided with manufacturers. In 1914 Bellanca followed the lead of

Sidney Hillman Sidney Hillman (March 23, 1887 – July 10, 1946) was an American labor leader. He was the head of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and was a key figure in the founding of the Congress of Industrial Organizations and in marshaling labor' ...

and founded ACWA.

World War II and anti-Fascist activities

Bellanca was strongly anti-Fascist and helped create the Mazzini Society, an American organization devoted to opposing

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

. He was crucial in organizing aid to Italy following the War. In 1957, Bellanca was recognized by the Italian Government with the

Italian Order of Merit The Italian honours system is a means to reward achievements or service to the Italian Republic, formerly the Kingdom of Italy including the Italian Social Republic. Orders of chivalry Italian Republic There are five orders of knighthood ...

, and in 1967 was bestowed the Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellanca, August 1880 births 1969 deaths People from Sciacca Italian anti-fascists Italian emigrants to the United States