Tony Mazzocchi

For the Boston sports journalist nicknamed "Tony Mazz", see Tony Massarotti.
Anthony Mazzocchi
Born(1926-06-13)June 13, 1926
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, United States
DiedOctober 5, 2002(2002-10-05) (aged 76)
Washington, D.C., United States
Occupation(s)Labor leader
Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer, Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union
Spouse(s)Rose Alfonso (divorced)
Susan Lynn Kleinwaks (divorced)
Katherine Isaac (unmarried partner)
ChildrenOne son, five daughters

Anthony Mazzocchi (June 13, 1926 – October 5, 2002) was an American labor leader. He was a high elected official of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union (OCAW), serving as vice president from 1977 to 1988, and as secretary-treasurer from 1988 to 1991.[1] He was credited by President Richard Nixon as being the primary force behind enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

While serving as OCAW legislative director in the fall of 1974, Mazzocchi mentored Karen Silkwood, a union activist and whistleblower employed in an Oklahoma plutonium production plant who became, in Mazzocchi’s words, a “union martyr”.[2] In the 1990s, he was co-founder of the U.S. Labor Party.[1][3][4][5][6] For his lifelong efforts on behalf of worker safety, Mazzocchi was called the "Rachel Carson of the American workplace."[7]

  1. ^ a b Steven Greenhouse, "Anthony Mazzocchi, 76, Dies," The New York Times, October 9, 2002.
  2. ^ Peter Gilmore (16 January 1984). "Remembering Karen Silkwood, Union Martyr". UE News.
  3. ^ Steven Greenhouse, "Facing Death, Founder Fights for Labor Party's Life," The New York Times, August 25, 2002.
  4. ^ Les Leopold, The Man Who Hated Work and Loved Labor: The Life and Times of Tony Mazzocchi, 2007.
  5. ^ David Moberg, "Remembering Mazzocchi," In These Times, January 28, 2008.
  6. ^ Elaine Woo, "Tony Mazzocchi, 76; Workplace Safety Advocate, Political Activist," Los Angeles Times, October 8, 2002.
  7. ^ Steve Early, "A Working-Class Hero Is Something To Be," Solidarity, March/April 2008.