Martin J. Forde (November 22, 1923 – December 9, 2022) was an American

labor union 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 ( ...

activist.

Life

Early life

Martin J. Forde was born in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and emigrated to the United States in 1951. He quickly joined the Carpenter's Union in New York, becoming a member of

United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local Union 608 United Brotherhood of Carpenters - Local Union 608 is currently affiliated with the N.Y.C. District Council of Carpenters and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. It was granted a charter on January 18, 1918. Located in N ...

on May 11, 1951.

Local 608 Tenure

After working as a carpenter for a number of years and working as a Shop Steward at the World Trade Center, he was appointed an Assistant Business Agent by Local 608s President

Paschal McGuinness Paschal McGuinness (born October 2, 1933) is a retired labor union activist. Early life and career Paschal was born in County Cavan, Ireland. During his early life, he learned the Carpenter trade via an apprenticeship program. After emigrating t ...

. In 1987, Martin Forde was indicted for extortion and soliciting bribes, along with Johnny O'Connor of Local Union 608. Martin was eventually found guilty of these charges, and was given a suspended sentence on August 31, 1990 on condition of retiring from union office. Local Union 608 subsequently provided Martin with a Lincoln Towncar as a retirement present. Martin continued to exert influence over Local Union 608 policy and politics via his son Mike Forde.

Personal life and death

Martin Forde lived in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

and

East Durham, New York East Durham is a hamlet (and census-designated place) within the town of Durham, which is located in the U.S. state of New York, approximately above sea level, in Greene County. It has the ZIP Code 12423 and the area code 518. Attractions ...

. He died at his home in Woodside, New York on December 9, 2022, at the age of 99.

References

External links

* http://www.local608.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Forde, Martin 1923 births 2022 deaths American trade unionists of Irish descent Activists from Queens, New York Trade unionists from New York (state) United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America people Irish emigrants to the United States