Donahue, Thomas R. (Thomas Reilly Donahue) [key], 1928–2023, American labor leader, b. New York City. A long-time member of the Service Employees International Union, he rose from a position as a local organizer to serve as its first vice president (1969–73). From 1967 to 1969, he was Assistant Secretary for Labor-Management Relations in the U.S. Dept. of Labor. Donahue was an executive assistant (1973–79) to American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations president George Meany and from 1979 to 1995 was secretary-treasurer of the labor organization. He briefly succeeded Lane Kirkland as interim president of the AFL-CIO in 1995 but lost an election for the position to John J. Sweeney.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Labor: Biographies
