Phil Cohen Union Organizer and Author
SKILLS
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Internal organizing, membership building, transforming balance of power between employer & union, contract negotiation, leadership development
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Investigation & presentation of cases to the NLRB, OSHA and DOL, within grievance procedure & arbitration; expertise in workers comp & FMLA
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Communication with workers and public:leaflets, plant visits & union meetings; press releases and interviews
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Author of books and articles
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1967 – 1973: Left home at age 16: worked a variety of blue collar jobs,
including gypsy cab driver in New York City and cheap hotel
manager
1970 – 1974: Frequent publication in several magazines, including
Metropolitan Review: memoir and articles about life on the
streets of NY
1974 – 1979: NYC taxi driver: signed first union card in 1974
1980 – 1988: City bus driver in Chapel Hill NC
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1981 - Elected chief steward of ATU Local 1565 and began receiving ongoing press coverage for efforts to represent the unit, despite state law prohibiting collective bargaining agreements for municipal employees
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Built alliances within the Rainbow Coalition and among progressives within local government
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Forced the Town of Chapel Hill to the bargaining table; won a succession of issues involving working conditions, health & safety, discipline & discharge
1988: Hired as lead organizer by the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile
Workers Union
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Directed internal organizing campaigns within poorly represented, company dominated locals
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Received substantial media coverage
1990: Promoted to International Representative
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Continued to direct internal organizing campaigns, including filing, investigation & representation of NLRB charges, grievance & arbitration, contract negotiation, strikes, and press coverage
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1992 – Broke the power of the Ku Klux Klan within Local 2500; developed leadership to represent without discrimination
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1993 – Initiated campaign & Labor Board case against illegal union busting at Highland Yarn; filed OSHA complaint for cotton dust violations
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1994 – Directed successful campaign against Grief/Genesco in Allentown, PA, preventing employer’s withdrawal from national clothing contract
1994 – 1997: Manager of Central North Carolina District
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Supervised staff, negotiated contracts, and arbitrated cases throughout district
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Ran successful NLRB campaigns against illegal union-busting at Brooks Brothers and VF Corporation
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1995 – OSHA complaint against Highland Yarn resulted in Willful Citation, highest fine for cotton dust violations in NC history
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1996 – Highland Yarn Complaint upheld by NLRB in Washington, setting precedent regarding and “illegal employer assistance in an effort to decertify the union.” Still cited by attorneys today.
1997 – 2011: Special Projects Coordinator
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Continued to direct successful NLRB campaigns against illegal union busting and other unfair labor practices
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Negotiated contracts, including first contracts
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Assigned to service the most challenging locals
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Appeared for the union in arbitrations
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Internal rebuilds and leadership training at challenged locals
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1996 & 1999 – Produced albums for and managed the union’s (apparel workers offering a unique blend of original labor songs and Southern gospel
- Received extensive radio play and media coverage, including Mother Jones, Voice of America, and SingOut
- Performed at numerous venues, including the AFL-CIO national
convention, countless ACTWU (renamed UNITE!) conventions, and on
picket lines
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1997 – Directed successful first contract campaign against Serta Mattress licensee, involving significant NLRB complaint and national media coverage
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1999 – Directed campaign against Monterrey, Inc. in Janesville, WI, preempting a looming decertification and developing new leadership
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2000 – Filed NLRB charges preempting a decertification effort at Serta Mattress and negotiated 2nd contract
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2001 – NLRB campaign, defeating illegal decertification at Kmart Distribution Center
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2002 - Leveraged better contract terms at Cone Mills during Wilbur Ross takeover through picket line and extensive press coverage
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2007 – Restored balance of power at Aramark Laundries via NLRB charges
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2008 – Local union president at Kmart DC reinstated through NLRB charges
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2008 – 2011 – Negotiated 1st contracts at laundry and food service facilities, trained leadership and subsequently serviced locals
2011: Retired from full time staff with what had been renamed Workers
United/SEIU
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Continued to present cases in arbitration
2016: Published The Jackson Project: War in the American Workplace
(University of Tennessee Press) resulting in ongoing media interviews
2017- 2020: Called out of retirement by Workers United/SEIU to investigate
and expose an illegal decertification campaign by Mohawk
Industries (Fortune 500) at its Eden, NC carpet factory
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Filed NLRB charges, convinced frightened witnesses to give affidavits, met frequently with Board agents, filed briefs & position papers, generated media coverage
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2018 – NLRB issues massive complaint against Mohawk.The employer capitulates and the petition is withdrawn.
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2018 – 2020 – Forged a productive bargaining relationship with new management.Represented workers in grievance procedure, FMLA & workers comp cases.
2020: Published Fighting Union Busters in a Carolina Carpet Mill (McFarland
& Company) and began a new series of press interviews
REFERENCES
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Chris Bowman, International Vice President & Director of Southern Regional Joint Board, Workers United/SEIU
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Harris Raynor, Assistant Director of Southern Regional Joint Board
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Mark Fleischman, Executive Vice President, Workers United/SEIU (retired
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Ernest Bennett, International Vice President & National Organizing Director, Workers United/SEIU (retired)
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