Ask almost anyone active in the workplace health and safety movement who’s around my age about what inspired them to dedicate their lives and careers to fighting for safer workplaces and chances are they will inevitably mention one name: Tony Mazzocchi.
Mazzocchi, who was born on June 13, 1926 — almost a century ago — was visionary OCAW official, labor leader, health and safety activist, labor party advocate, worker educator, and pioneer of the concept “Just Transition.”
But that description doesn’t say it all. Because Tony was also an inspiration. Listening to him speak, lobbying with him on Capital Hill, working with him on organizing campaigns or health and safety-related work actions inspired hundreds of young people in the 1960s, 1970’s and 1980’s to follow careers fighting for workers rights.
Tony’s centennial will be celebrated June 4-5 with the Tony Mazzocchi Centennial Conference and Archive Launch, a two-day conference held at the Labor Education Center, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. The two-day event will explore several interconnected themes from Mazzocchi’s work, both from a historical perspective but also with an eye toward the present and the future. Where are we today and what can we learn from Mazzocchi’s activism?
Panels will be held on the past and present, and what we can do to build a better future.
More information and a tentative agenda can be found here. You can register for the event here.
And if you are looking for more information about Tony’s life and times, check out the excellent work by Les Leopold, The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor.
I hope to see you there.
Thank you for this information. I had know idea who this guy is/was. Workers rights will always be the foundation of workplace safety. I’m going to do some reading to learn more about him.
Jordan, I purchased the book some time ago. Australia does not have many (any?) books about the lives of prominent trade unionists. I t seems it’s not something we do so I was intrigued to see what the US does.
I think I first heard Tony’s name in the Rolling Stone articles about Karen Silkwood (I think) written by Howard Koch, a long time ago.
I will monitor the conference as much as I can from my current Norfolk island posting but will continue to read your reports on this.
Best of luck at the conference.