William Konyha (May 11, 1915 – December 27, 2001) was a carpenter and an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

labor leader. He was president of the

United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, often simply the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), was formed in 1881 by Peter J. McGuire and Gustav Luebkert. It has become one of the largest trade unions in the United State ...

from January 1, 1980 to October 31, 1982. He was born in 1915 in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, to Louis and Mary (Gabor) Konyha. His father was a carpenter. He was educated in public schools, and attended a four-year trade school before becoming a carpenter in 1936. He joined Local 1180 in Cleveland. In 1939, Konyha was elected president of Local 11800 and business manager for the Cleveland District Council of Carpenters. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Konyha served in the Seabees and served and saw combat in the South Pacific. After the war, he attended

Chicago Technical College Chicago Technical College (CTC) was a private junior college founded in 1904 in Chicago. CTC closed in 1977. Courses As of 1925, CTC offered both day and night classes with Diplomas in Architecture, Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering ...

from 1945 to 1947. In 1947, he was hired as an organizer by the international Carpenters union. In 1952, he became a staff representative, and began servicing contracts throughout

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. In 1960, Konyha was elected president of the Ohio State Council of Carpenters. In 1962, he was elected president of the Ohio AFL-CIO. He resigned both positions in 1970 when he was elected a vice president of the international Carpenters union representing District 3. He was elected second vice president in 1972, and first vice president in 1973. Konyha was appointed to the Federal Apprentice Committee by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

. After the retirement of

William Sidell William Sidell (30 May 1915 – 2 October 1994) was a carpenter and an American labor leader. He was president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America from 1973 to 1979. He was born in Chicago to Samuel and Fannie (Free ...

in 1979, Konyha was elected his successor as president of the Carpenters union. In 1980, Konyha was elected a vice president of the AFL-CIO, and he won a full term as Carpenters president in 1981. In 1981, Konyha invited President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

to be honorary chair of the union's 100th anniversary celebration. Reagan agreed. In the interim, Reagan asked Congress for tax cuts and fired striking federal air traffic controllers. Konyha spent the intervening months attacking Reagan's tax policy, and defended the right of federal workers to strike after Reagan's speech. Nevertheless, the bad blood between the two men did not prevent Reagan from appointing Konyha to the National Productivity Advisory Committee later that year.

Retirement

Konyha unexpectedly resigned a year into his term. He quit the presidency on October 31, 1982. No reason was given for his sudden announcement. First vice president

Patrick J. Campbell Patrick J. Campbell (July 22, 1918 – February 21, 1998) was a carpenter and an American labor leader. He was president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America from November 1, 1982 to February 1988. Campbell was bor ...

succeeded him as interim president. Once retired, Konyha raised racehorses. In 1991, Konyha and a group of investors (which included a former Ohio state racing commissioner) bought Finger Lakes Race Track near

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. Konyha and his wife, Evelyn, had six children. He was preceded in death by one son.

References

*Balz, Dan. "President Defends Firing of Controllers Before Labor Group." ''Washington Post.'' September 4, 1981. *Christie, Robert. ''Empire in Wood: A History of the Carpenters' Union.'' Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1956. *Fink, Gary, ed. ''Biographical Dictionary of American Labor.'' Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1984. *Galenson, Walter. ''The United Brotherhood of Carpenters: The First Hundred Years.'' Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1983. . *"Group Buys Finger Lakes." ''Syracuse Post-Standard.'' September 7, 1991. *Hartson, Merrill. "Carpenters Union Leader Stepping Down." ''Associated Press.'' October 19, 1982. *"William Konyha; Carpenters Union Official; Served on Several Boards." ''Cleveland Plain Dealer.'' December 31, 2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Konyha, William 1915 births 2001 deaths American trade union leaders United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America people People from Cleveland American racehorse owners and breeders Activists from Ohio American people of Hungarian descent Vice presidents of the AFL–CIO