Sylvester Frank "Bud" Raftery (November 30, 1918 – November 20, 1986) was an American labor union leader.
Bud Raftery | |
|---|---|
| 15th President of the Brotherhood of Painters and Decorators of America | |
| In office 1964–1984 | |
| Preceded by | Lawrence M. Raftery |
| Succeeded by | William A. Duval |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sylvester Frank Raftery November 30, 1918 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | November 20, 1986 (aged 67) |
| Parent |
|
| Profession | Labor union leader |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Unit | Seabee |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Raftery was the son of Lawrence M. Raftery. He became a sign painter at the age of 16, and joined the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America (BPDPA), in which his father was also active.[1]
Raftery served with the Seebees in the Pacific during World War II. In the early 1950s, his father became president of the BPDPA, and he appointed Bud as its full-time director of jurisdiction. In 1964, he succeeded his father as union president.[1]
As leader of the union, Raftery moved its headquarters to Washington D.C. He also created a national pension fund for painters, and set up a health and safety department in the union. He also served as a vice-president of the AFL-CIO. However, his leadership of the union was unpopular with rank-and-file members in many larger cities.[1][2]
Raftery retired in 1984 due to poor health. He died two years later.[1][2]
References
edit  | This biographical article about a United States activist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |