Leon Lynch

Leon Lynch was born in Edwards, Mississippi, in 1935. He moved to Gary, Indiana, as a child, when his family migrated north for more promising job opportunities [1]. In his youth, he learned the bass violin, which he played in the Count Basie Orchestra in East Chicago. After graduating high school, he started working at Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. steel mill in 1956, where he met Joe Jackson. Lynch played bass in the band that backed up his co-worker’s sons’ musical group, The Jackson 5 [2].

While at Youngstown Sheet & Tube, Lynch became involved with the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1011 [3]. He was a passionate activist and worked hard for Local 1011, serving as a Grievance Committeeman, Secretary of By-laws, Coordinator of Education, and in other positions [4]. In 1968, Lynch was appointed Staff Representative for United Steelworkers of America [5]. Lynch was sent to Memphis to work with Local 7655, which represented employees of the local Carrier air conditioner plant. In the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Memphis, Lynch was admired for his leadership skills and ability to conciliate black and white workers at Carrier [6]. His ambition and leadership skills were so well respected that Local 7655’s first union hall was declared “Leon Lynch Union Hall" [7].

At the 1976 USW convention, Steelworkers appointed Lynch to the newly created position of Vice President for Human Affairs [8]. In this position, he was responsible for the union’s Department of Civil Rights and the Wage and Arbitration Department, in addition to overseeing the Audit and Review Committee [9]. Lynch held his position of international Vice President for Human Affairs for six consecutive terms until his retirement in 2006. In addition to overseeing the union’s Civil Rights and human rights efforts, he also chaired the Steelworkers’ Container Industry Conference and Public Employees Conference [10]. Lynch was the first African American to hold such an important position in a major labor union [11].

In 1992, two hundred people gathered at the Genesis Convention center in Gary, to celebrate Lynch’s accomplishments and display the pride they felt for a local hero. Lynch’s admirable character and successful work for the USW raised him to the same status as other prominent, nationally known African American activists in the eyes of fellow Hoosiers. USW Local 1014 President Larry McWay said, “when you talk about great leaders like Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson and others, you have to mention Leon Lynch, who was raised right here in the city of Gary and has done a lot for labor in this country" [12].

In 1995, Lynch was elected to the AFL-CIO Executive Council, where he lent his expertise to committees such as Civil and Human Rights, Immigration, Legislative/Public Policy, and Safety and Occupational Health [13]. During his career, he worked with the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the Democratic National Committee, Labor Roundtable of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, and was elected by President Bill Clinton to the Advisory Council on Unemployment Compensation and the subcommittee of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aviation Management Advisory Council. In East Chicago, the USW Local 1011 dedicated its member career development facility to Lynch in 2005. The Leon Lynch Learning Center is still active today and stands as a reminder of Lynch’s dedication to “standing up for working people, advocating for men and women who might otherwise not have had a chance at a fair, living wage.” Lynch died in 2012 after a lifetime of promoting Civil Rights [14].

[1] Bowdeya Tweh, “Labor, Civil Rights Activist with Local Ties Dead at 76,” NWI, The Times, May 8, 2012, https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/labor-civil-rights-activist-with-local-ties-dead-at/article_ec00ffb5-2dcc-50ed-93af-bd3690ee2518.html.
[2] Ann Belser, “Obituary: Leon Lynch / First Black Vice President of a Major Labor Union,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 8, 2012, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2012/05/08/Obituary-Leon-Lynch-First-black-vice-president-of-a-major-labor-union/stories/201205080150.
[3] Bowdeya Tweh, “Labor, Civil Rights Activist with Local Ties Dead at 76.”
[4] Nancy Pieters, “Gary Native Lynch Enjoys Role as Top Union Official,” Times (Munster, IN), September 8, 1992.
[5] Bowdeya Tweh, “Labor, Civil Rights Activist with Local Ties Dead at 76.”
[6] “Leon Lynch,” AFL-CIO, March 4, 2008, https://aflcio.org/about/leadership/statements/leon-lynch.
[7] Ann Belser, “Obituary: Leon Lynch / First Black Vice President of a Major Labor Union.”
[8] “Leon Lynch,” AFL-CIO.
[9] “Union, Steel Officials to Speak at Import Rally,” Morning Call (Allentown, PA), October 5, 1982.
[10] “Leon Lynch,” AFL-CIO.
[11] Ann Belser, “Obituary: Leon Lynch / First Black Vice President of a Major Labor Union.”
[12] Louis Blackwell II, “USWA Official Get Hearty ‘Welcome Home’ in Gary,” Times (Munster, IN), April 8, 1992.
[13] “Leon Lynch,” AFL-CIO.
[14] Bowdeya Tweh, “Labor, Civil Rights Activist with Local Ties Dead at 76.”

Student Author: Gwyneth Harris
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey

Image of Leon Lynch courtesy of United Steelworkers archive.