George E. Browne was an American labor union leader. Browne was active in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), becoming business agent of its Stagehands Local No. 2, based in Chicago. In the 1920s, he won election as vice-president of the international union. In 1932, he stood unsuccessfully for the post of president, afterwards standing down as vice-president. He stood for the presidency again in 1934, winning the post without facing a contest. He was also elected as a vice-president of the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutu ...

. In 1943, Browne was tried and convicted with

co-conspirator In criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime at some time in the future. Criminal law in some countries or for some conspiracies may require that at least one overt act be undertaken in furtherance o ...

Willie Bioff, of extortion of $1.2 million from Hollywood film studio producers after threatening them with labor strikes on behalf of the Chicago Outfit. Browne was sentenced to eight years in prison. However, both he and Bioff assisted the government in a trial of other members of the Outfit, and as a result, they were granted parole in 1944. That year, he was expelled from the IATSE. In 1947,

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

entered a motion to recover $100,000 from Browne, but dropped the case after its attorneys were unable to locate Browne.

References

American trade union leaders American trade union officials convicted of crimes International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Year of death missing Year of birth missing Vice Presidents of the American Federation of Labor {{theat-bio-stub