Leonhard Mahlein (4 April 1921 – 18 December 1985), known as Loni Mahlein, was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
trade union leader.
Born in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
, Mahlein's father was a member of the
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
(KPD) who was arrested by the Nazis in 1935 and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison. Leonhard undertook an apprenticeship in printing, but was forced to leave his initial placement due to his own anti-Nazi views. He was eventually able to complete his apprenticeship, and joined the
Printing and Paper Union, becoming leader of its youth section in Nuremberg, and also chaired his local works council.
From 1951 until 1956, Mahlein worked as a teacher of printing. He was a supporter of the KPD until 1952, but in 1956, he joined the
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany.
Saskia Esken has been the ...
, and was also elected as the deputy chair of the Printing and Paper Union in Bavaria. From 1965, he worked full-time for the union as the chair of its Bavaria district.
In 1968, Mahlein was elected as national president of the Printing and Paper Union, the senior role in the union. He was also 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 ...
(IGF), and was its president from 1976. His leadership of the union was marked by industrial action in 1973, 1976 and 1978, concerning pay, conditions, and computerisation. He was able to expand membership of the union by accepting journalists and writers into membership.
In 1983, Mahlein unexpectedly decided not to re-stand for the union leadership. Instead, he became joint editor of ''Nachrichten zur Wirtschafts- und Sozialpolitik'', a monthly magazine linked with the KPD, until his death in 1985.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahlein, Leonhard
1921 births
1985 deaths
German trade unionists
People from Nuremberg
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany