Glenn Watts
Glenn Ellis Watts(June 4, 1920 – August 30, 2002) was an American labor union leader.
Born inStony Point, North Carolina,Watts' family moved toWashington, D.C.during theGreat Depression.[1]He attendedWilson Teachers College.[2]In 1941, he began working as a telephone installer with theChesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company,and he joined theNational Federation of Telephone Workers.He was soon elected as president of his local, then began working full-time for the union. He was elected as vice president of District 2 of what had become theCommunication Workers of America(CWA), and then in 1956 became an assistant to presidentJoseph A. Beirne.[1]
Watts was later elected as vice-president of the union, then in 1969 as secretary-treasurer. In 1974, he succeeded Beirne as president of the union, and led three rounds of successful negotiations with theBell System,the contract covering more workers than any other at the time. He promoted co-operation with management, and the formation of "quality of work-life" committees. Once the break-up of the Bell System was announced, he launched a Committee for the Future, which met withfuturiststo plan the future role of the union as communications changed.[3]He also promoted better rights for women at work. He was a vice president of theAFL–CIO,and persuaded the federation to create a Committee on Women.[4]
Watts also served as president of thePostal, Telegraph and Telephone International,in which he prioritized support for unionization in Latin America. He served on theDemocratic National Committee,as chair of the board of governors of theUnited Way of America,on theNational Holocaust Memorial Commission,and as a trustee of theFord Foundation.He retired in 1985, to live inChevy Chase, Maryland.[1][3][5]
References
[edit]- ^abc"CWA Mourns Loss of Glenn Watts".Communication Workers of America.October 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2022.Retrieved14 June2022.
- ^"Glenn Watts, 82; Led Phone Workers Union Through Bell Breakup".Los Angeles Times.September 2, 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2022.Retrieved14 June2022.
- ^abGreenhouse, Steven (September 6, 2002)."Glenn E. Watts, 82, Is Dead; Led Communications Workers".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2022.Retrieved14 June2022.
- ^Estrada, Louie (September 1, 2002)."Glenn E. Watts Dies at 82".Washington Post.Retrieved14 June2022.
- ^"Glenn Watts Dies, Headed Telecom Union in National Bell System Bargaining".Communication Workers of America.Archivedfrom the original on 28 February 2024.Retrieved14 June2022.