Joseph T. Hansen

This article is about the labor leader. For other people with this name, see Joseph Hansen (disambiguation).

Joseph T. Hansen is a North American labor leader, best known for his work as the international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).

Early years

Joe began his career as a meat cutter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He spent more than 11 years working at his trade while serving as a volunteer organizer for his local union—Local 73 of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America. His activism helped keep Milwaukee a union town, where new grocery stores were quickly met with organizing activity. His passion for organizing led Hansen to become one of the youngest members of his local union’s executive board.

The UFCW

In 1979, the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America and the Retail Clerks Union merged to form the UFCW.

In 1985, Hansen was appointed UFCW Northcentral region director in Minnesota and was elected a UFCW International vice president the following year. In 1990, Hansen was appointed UFCW Pacific Region director in California and four years later became director of UFCW’s food processing, packing and manufacturing division.

Hansen was elected UFCW international secretary-treasurer in 1997 and international president in 2004. He was reelected international president in 2008.

Recognizing that industry-wide organizing is the best way to give workers the power to raise working and living standards, Hansen is leading the UFCW through a dramatic shift in priorities as more staff and resources than ever before are dedicated to uniting workers and bringing them under a union contract.

Change to Win

Hansen is a founding architect of the Change to Win Federation that has set a new course for the labor movement. He currently serves as its Chair.

International Labor Movement

Hansen has been active in the global union movement since 1994. His early experience with global unionism provided him with the foresight to realize that only global solidarity can confront global corporations. He served as president of Union Network International (UNI), an international labor organization representing 15 million workers in 900 unions in more than 100 countries from 2003, until November of 2010. He is also the Chair of Change to Win, a national labor federation of four unions representing 5.5 million workers.

Leadership on Key Political Issues

In the United States, lawmakers and opinion leaders seek his perspective and leadership on two of the most important challenges facing American workers in the 21st century—health care and immigration reform.

Hansen is the Founding National Chair of the National Commission on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Misconduct and Violations of 4th Amendment Rights. The commission examined ICE misconduct during the Bush Administrations’ workplace raids. It presented the findings to the American people in a report that documents the terrible costs and human suffering caused by ICE misconduct and outlined key elements of needed immigration policy reforms.

In 2005, the U.S. Congress named Hansen to the 14-member Citizens’ Health Care Working Group. The panel did groundbreaking work to bring the American people together to confront the health care crisis and facilitated the direct communication of their views and concerns to lawmakers. His leadership on that the panel established Hansen as a key leader and trusted advisor to Congress and the Obama administration on the primary health care issues facing working families and the elements of comprehensive health care reform.

In September 2010, President Obama appointed Hansen to the United States Trade Representatives Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and in February 2011, President Obama appointed Hansen to the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. As International President of UFCW, which represents workers in the meatpacking, food processing, poultry, food distribution and retail food sectors, Hansen is committed to ensuring that American farmers, workers, and responsible businesses and manufacturers are not locked out of these emerging growth markets. Hansen’s experience in the global union movement, and his role negotiating contracts with multi-national meatpacking, food processing, and grocery companies gives him a unique perspective and the capability to ensure the voice of working people is heard.

References

Preceded by Douglas H. Dority

President of UFCW 2004-present

Succeeded by Incumbent