Joseph T. Hansen is a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n labor leader, best known for his work as president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).

Early life

Hansen was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1942. He was the eldest of four children. His mother was of Irish descent and his father of Norwegian descent. His family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin shortly before high school. In Milwaukee, Hansen attended Marquette Preparatory School.

Activism and career

Hansen began his career in 1962 as a meat cutter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,Joseph T. Hansen
", UFCW. Retrieved November 18, 2013 where he became a member of Local 73 of the

Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America The Amalgamated Meat Cutters (AMC), officially the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, 1897–1979, was a labor union that represented retail and packinghouse workers. In 1979, the AMCBW merged with the Retail Clerks ...

. He was an outspoken rank-and-file activist who won election to local union office, and in 1973 became an international staff representative. In 1979, the Amalgamated Meat Cutters (AMC) and the

Retail Clerks International Union The Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU) was a labor union that represented retail employees. History The RCIU was chartered as the "Retail Clerks National Protective Union" in 1890 by the American Federation of Labor. It later adopted the n ...

(RCIU) merged to form the UFCW. In 1985, Hansen was appointed UFCW northcentral region director in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and was elected a UFCW international vice president the following year. In 1990, Hansen was appointed UFCW pacific region director in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and four years later became director of UFCW's food processing, packing and manufacturing division. Hansen was elected UFCW international secretary-treasurer in 1997 and international president in 2004.Sprengelmeyer, M.E. (2004) "Union Boss Walks the Line", ''

Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As ...

'', November 13, 2004 He was re-elected international president in 2008 and 2013. Hansen is a founder and former chair of the Change to Win Federation.President Obama Announces Members of the President's Council on Jobs and Competiveness
, Newsroom America, February 23, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2013Joseph T. Hansen
, whitehouse.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2013 Hansen is the Founding National Chair of the National Commission on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Misconduct and Violations of 4th Amendment Rights. As UFCW president, Hansen was a driving force in the creation of

UNI Global Union UNI Global Union, formerly Union Network International (UNI), is a global union federation for the skills and services sectors, gathering national and regional trade union. It has affiliated unions in 150 countries representing 20 million workers ...

in 2004, and served as its founding president.
, unigobalunion.org. Retrieved February 22, 2018 In September 2010, President Obama appointed Hansen to the United States Trade Representatives Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and negotiations and in February 2011, President Obama appointed Hansen to the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

Awards

In 2015, Hansen was presented with the ''Bill Olwell Champion of Equality Award'' for his leadership on advancing LGBTQ issues within the union and beyond.
, ufcwoutreach.org. Retrieved February 26, 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Joseph T. Trade unionists from Illinois Living people 1943 births Activists from Chicago American trade union leaders United Food and Commercial Workers people