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y0 9j :'y Herman Benson We dedicate this journal to the memory of Revella Benson. We miss her wonderful disposition, her wise counsel, and her deep devotion to the cause. Benson in AUD by Judith R. Schneider There are the outward aspects. The clothes that from time to time reach the high water level of "Casual." The pink flowered rayon shorts for when it's hot. The red suspenders (my personal favorite) for very special occasions. AUD moved up from Herman's two roomettes and a hall "starter" on Union Square to a Brooklyn floor through in a former funeral parlor with stained glass and a private coffin lift. Along the way Herman let go the three legged chairs he found on the street and made serviceable. But our "very authentic" decor (Tony Ramirez's benevolent characterization) still contains some of the leavings of New York including lots of handicapped umbrellas that were too good to remain in the custody of the Department of Sanitation. That's the easy to see, fun to say part. But there's another part - the day in day out. Such as -AUD's recalcitrant copier recently provoked from me a frustrated " What's that ***** little red man [lit on the panel]". Henry's somber and serious reply: "The little red man - he's really trouble. Only Herman can get rid of that little red man." And- "Herman, was there any organized reform group in the Pacific Northwest in the Carpenters in the 60's?" "Herman, would you translate this arbitration decision from Quebec?" "Herman, how do you buy Treasury notes?" "What was the breakdown in the Abel- McDonald race?" "What did you think of the Fagles Odyssey translation? ..." We're now on a restricted two days a week diet of that part. But for those who come for help, and in the construction of AUD to democratize the labor movement -there was and is Herman's powerful mind and unique expression, awesome ability to exclude the extraneous, utter reliability, adherence to principle, back- bone, uncommon common sense. That's the prime part, the chief thing. The other day some IBEW rank and file came by to talk about no work for years and other things. One, passing in search of a place to smoke, let out "Talking to that guy - it's like talking to Yoda." Precisely. Herman Benson's problem by Clyde Summers Herman Benson has a problem. He has had the problem for 40 years. His problem is that he believes too much in unions. He believes that the purpose of unions is to bring a measure of democracy to their members' working lives. He believes that unions can serve that purpose only if they are themselves democratic, and that democracy in unions requires the protection of voices of dissent within the union. He believes that those who question, criticize or oppose prevalent policies or incumbent officers are the leaven in an otherwise sour loaf of bureaucratic domination and control. For 40 years he has devoted himself to helping protect and promote that leaven in the loaf. For that we honor him. Herman Benson has a problem, but it is not really his problem, it is the union movement's problem. It is the unions' problem of entrenched administration, officers who would silence those who criticize, repress those who oppose, and manipulate union procedures to maintain control - all with the self-certain confidence that they know what is best for the members. For 40 years, Herman has sought to prod, cajole and shame the union movement into facing its problem and correcting it. For that the officialdom of the labor movement has not honored him. Herman's great contribution has been in providing a working symbol of the moral imperative and practical importance in union democracy. He has provided a place where lonely union reformers can turn for understanding, encouragement and needed help. Because of him and his successor, Susan Jennik, the AUD is widely known and respected among union reformers, and a hair shirt for union officials. A secondary but significant contribution is less widely recognized. When Herman began union dissidents could not find a lawyer who would defend their rights in court. Management lawyers, of course, could not be used because they bore the mark of Cain, and union lawyers could not help for they would most surely lose their union clients. Two outstanding exceptions in New York were John Harold and Burton Hall. Today the AUD has built a network of lawyers to whom union reformers can turn, and who will pursue cases regardless of fees. That network extends from coast to coast. It most likely would not have developed without Herman's work. Herman's problem, for all his work, still exists. Democracy has been restored in some unions, and more union members assert their democratic rights. But many unions have not yet heard the message, or even seen the handwriting on the wall. They still consider those who press for more democracy in unions as fools or foes. Last year, in response to a call for "rebuilding the labor intellectual alliance," Herman, a working intellectual who had devoted 40 years to keeping alive the core purpose of the labor movement but who had been shunned by its leaders because he believed too much in union democracy, proclaimed the creed which had sustained him and should sustain us. "Support to labor does not necessarily mean endorsement only of what emanates from its leadership. Unions will inspire enthusiastic public support when they battle for justice and democracy, when they defend workers against corporate greed; but union officials are not exempt from public criticism when they undercut the democratic rights of their own members. True solidarity with labor entails solidarity with those who fight within the labor movement for fair elections, fair hiring halls, for union democracy, against corruption, even when it is directed against the establishment." Now Herman's problem is our problem. May we do a fraction as much to resolve it.

Herman Benson, the friend we needed by Larry O'Toole, leader MEBA, Members Advocating Democracy During a lifetime one meets one or two individuals whose character and integrity make them stand above the rest. I am fortunate to know such a person. His name is Herman Benson. I first heard of Herman in 1972 when I read a newspaper article about the election for President of the United Mine Workers. The article told how Herman Benson, who headed the Association for Union Democracy, helped Arnold Miller get a fair election with his challenge to the incumbent president, WA. "Tony" Boyle. I first met Herman in 1990 when the Marine Engineer's Beneficial Association's (M.E.B.A.) reform group, the MAD Committee, began organizing a challenge to the corrupt regime of the incumbent president, Gene Defries, for the 1990 election. I had kept the newspaper article about the Mineworkers' election in my file since 1972, because I knew the day would come when a person such as Herman Benson might be helpful to MEBA members seeking democracy in our union. So in 1990, 18 years later I called New York telephone information. To my surprise AUD was still in operation and to my greater delight Herman Benson was still there. I drove from my home in upstate Connecticut to AUD in Brooklyn. The office was filled with old filing cabinets, dim lighting and men and women busy on phones. I saw dedicated people working with little or no resources aiding members with union democracy problems whose solution appeared hopeless. I couldn't help at first but be skeptical of an organization whose people worked with limited assets, on issues which seemed so intractable. I found out that it was Herman Benson's tireless leadership that inspired those dedicated workers. Herman had a rough demeanor but walked with an air of confidence. His face was that of someone who had been through many tough situations but survived. His straight way of talking told me that he could help us; his eyes said that I could trust him. Herman was familiar with MEBA and all of the maritime unions. He did not hold back when he described the obstacles that we would have to overcome. His pamphlet, How to Get an Honest Union Election, became a guidebook for the MAD committee. In addition to his advice, knowing that his organization was there as a guardian when the odds were against us, encouraged the MAD committee to continue. The MAD committee candidates won in the 1990 election, but it took two more years before MEBA members were in full control of their union. Defeated officials of the Defries regime were found guilty in federal court of racketeering and mail fraud and received four to five years in jail and heavy fines. MEBA owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Herman Benson and AUD. Life with Herman by Susan Jennik First met Herman Benson around 1976. I was working at the J.J. Case Co. in Racine, Wisconsin and was a something dissident member of the UAW. As I was planning a trip to New York City, my fellow malcontents instructed me to visit AUD and seek an audience with someone on staff, or even the revered Herman Benson. With great trepidation I made my way to Park Avenue South. There, amid cardboard boxes, battered file cabinets, and a few manual typewriters, was an elderly man shouting to someone on the phone. He motioned to me to find a place to sit, which I did by moving some papers off a chair. When Herman finished his call he discussed my union situation, gave me useful and practical advice and loaded me up with literature. Years later I saw other people express the same surprise at the reality of the AUD operation. Herman has always used AUD's resources to expand its effectiveness beyond what seems possible for such a small staff with so little money. Working with Herman Benson for nine years was funny, exasperating, inspiring, educational and unforgettable. Often on Friday evenings we would sit down with a bottle of scotch left over from the Christmas party and talk about politics, love, family whatever. After half a drink, Herman was feeling the effects and would tell his stories about organizing machinists in Detroit and the sectarian battles of his youth. When something tickled him, he didn't giggle; he guffawed. His laugh is just one expression of his great enthusiasm for living. Herman taught me more about writing than any class ever could. I sometimes would argue with him about the substance of a story, but I rarely disputed his editorial judgment. It's hard to argue with someone who consistently improves your efforts and still puts your name on the story. Herman lives by Strunk and White's Elements of Style. In my first years with AUD, after editing my writing, Herman would throw it on my desk and say, "Read it again." And I did, again and again and again. I have never read anyone who surpasses his wit and punch. My favorite: his vivid description of MEBA District 2 as, "an oddball appendage of the union which became attached parasitically to the main body, like a lamprey eel to a lake trout." Whenever I was going out to run an errand I would ask Herman if he wanted anything. He would always respond, "Fame, fortune, and true love." My rejoinder was: "You already have fame and true love and you're not going to get a fortune here." Herman's relationship with his dear wife Revella was an inspiration to all. I often said Revella is a saint, and I usually meant that she tolerated Herman's impatience, and sometimes, yes, his irrationality. But she was a saint to all of us: she always expressed concern about our lives and shared her wide experiences in travel, literature, art and music. There was never a doubt that Herman and Revella had found true love. I think Herman also found the secret to happiness: he is content with himself He concentrates on the many things that are important to him - family, union democracy, politics, writing, speaking, bats, insects, literature, gardening. As for the irrelevant - primarily those things seen as luxuries by others - he can't be bothered. In addition to his incredible contribution to union democracy, Herman shows us all the value of living by principles and being comfortable in yourself I am grateful for all that he taught me. After 39 years, why do I do this? by Herman Benson AUD has been campaigning for union democracy, boy, girl, man, and woman for more than 25 years, and some of us were at it even earlier, ten years before. And o the question is asked, "Do you think we will ever accomplish our mission? When will we be able to say: At last the labor movement is pure and perfectly democratic?" After all these years, I finally have arrived at the answer, and so let me tell you how I got there; circuitously. Two years after I joined the Young Peoples Socialist League in 1930, we were cam- paigning for Norman Thomas for president, inspired by the slogan, "Socialism in Our Time." We didn't quite make it then, but a few months after Roosevelt was elected, he shut down all the banks. That night we slunk around pasting big stickers on bank doors: "Bank closed. Will open under socialism." Obviously our tempo, if nothing else, was off; but that's not the message of this little story. The point is that we found inspiration, and needed it, in the conviction that within our lifetime, and not too long off, the great goal, within reach, would be achieved. And mankind would finally begin to live in a world of decency, peace, democracy, justice, equality. I'm speaking of my road. Yours will probably be different; but what we in AUD do share is the quest for social justice, and we see union democracy as one means toward that end. As long as some are rich and others not, some take and others give orders, some vote and others govern, that striving for democracy and social justice will go on, not until the end of time, but surely as far as one can see. We need no consolation from some final end in sight but find inspiration in serving the cause itself As it is for society, so it is for union democracy which is an aspect of social justice and an instrument that serves it. But there are so many roads to democracy and social justice, so many ways to serve, so many causes. Why choose union democracy? Your reply will probably be different; let me explain how I arrived at mine. When I started out, I viewed the world as a Marxist, which meant in essence accepting the idea that the modern working class ("the proletariat") was endowed with the "mission" of leading society to a new golden era of liberty, equality, and fraternity. To quote the words of an old Austrian labor song, "Labor yearning to be free, at last will liberate humanity." In time I, like many others, exchanged that notion for a less grandiose view; that, however, is a whole other story. But I never lost the conviction, which I still hold deeply, that the labor movement can be-and usually is-one of the great forces for democracy and social justice. And so, like many young people then and now, I decided to get into the labor movement. I became a machinist and toolmaker working in New York and Detroit as a member of the UAW, the Rubber Workers, the UE, and the IUE. They were all good unions. But you cannot function within the labor movement, eyes and ears open, study its operations and development, without becoming aware of its odd contradictory qualities. Unions do defend workers rights on the job; they do establish a measure of security and raise their standard of living; they do encourage workers to stand up for themselves and assert their dignity. As against the employers! And they do campaign for progressive social legislation. At the same time, however, in wide sections of the labor movement, unions become bureaucratized, their officials treat members with contempt, retaliate against critics, use their control over jobs to blacklist dissidents, sometimes steal elections, become corrupt, even tolerate racketeers. So there's a dilemma for you! How can the labor movement remain an effective force for democracy in society if it is undemocratic in its own internal life? And more troubling, how can workers be counted on to defend democracy in the nation if they cannot defend the democratic quality of their own unions? That's why for me the subject of union democracy became not just a "narrow" labor question, but one which is linked to the future of democracy in society. That was 1957-1959 when, for a while, union democracy seemed to be in the air. There were the McClellan Hearings, the Landrum-Griffin Act, the ACLU dec- laration on Democracy in Labor Unions written by Clyde Summers, studies on union government by the Fund for the Republic, the AFL-CIO Ethical Practices Codes and the expulsion of the Teamsters. Clark Kerr wrote "Unions and Union Leaders of Their Own Choosing." But like the weather, everyone talked about it, no one did anything about it. Almost no one. An exception was a committee of three: Norman Thomas, Clyde Summers, and John Lapp, a prominent Catholic social action leader in Chicago. They formed a committee to campaign for the reinstatement of two machinists who fought corruption in their local and then had been expelled by direct order of the IAM international president. I served the committee as its volunteer secretary, aided by Gordon Haskell. We lost, but not without making an impact. The New York Times ran an editorial; two well-circulated liberal magazines ran stories; the IAM president was questioned on TV; the subject was raised at a congressional hearing. Out of that experience, we learned something that has guided us ever since: how to tell the story of the union reformer and how to rally support by prodding the conscience of the liberal-civil libertarian world. In 1959, with the help of Norman Thomas, who raised $1,500 a year for the effort, I started publishing Union Democracy in Action, as a kind of one-man band, to report on campaigns for democracy and reform in unions and to call for help. Within a few months, reformers in so many unions responded that it became obvious that this modest venture fulfilled a pressing need: painters, machinists, paper workers, pulp-sulphite members, marine officers, unlicensed seafarers, teamsters, union staff organizers. Seventeen thousand partial reprints of the fourth issue were distributed by them in their unions. A few civil libertarians, outside the labor movement, came forward, including Burton Hall who was inspired to begin his lifetime career as a workers rights attorney; others became subscriber-supporters. Two leaders of a Painters reform movement in San Francisco were murdered in 1966 just after the story of their battle had been published in Union Democracy in Action. Norman Thomas joined in forming a citizens committee which called for a federal investigation; Rickie Flanders, later an editor of the New York Teacher, helped recruit some twenty others. The campaign reached a national audience: a series in the Washington Post beginning on the front page of a Sunday edition, a major piece in the Wall StreetJournal, stories in the major news magazines, front-page picture in the New York Daily News, George Meany pressured into appointing committee of investigation. In the end, a top painters official and two employers were convicted of the murders. Within the next two years, most of the members of that committee agreed to form the Association for Union Democracy as a permanent organization, formally chartered in 1969. most of the members of that committee agreed to form the Association for Union Democracy as a permanent organization, formally chartered in 1969. In 1972, a grant of $30,000 from a close friend gave us the means to move forward. Judith Schneider became legal director at a salary of $7,500. She began to work closely with Joe Rauh, who had just successfully represented the Miners for Democracy and was now in court for Ed Sadlowski in Steelworkers District 31, Chicago. The years that followed were packed with activity. Joe Rauh joined forces with AUD; Public Citizen opened a union democracy project staffed by Paul Levy and Arthur Fox who later joined the AUD board. The consequences were spectacular: the Steelworkers Election Project which was financed by $100,000 in grants from a consortium of liberal foundations, a challenge to the IBEW constitution which opened the door for electrician reformers. We "monitored" (i.e. stuck pins into) the Labor Department. In 1980 Gordon Haskell became AUD president for a time, and induced a group of foundations to finance a three-year expansion program. We began to hear from hundreds of unionists every year: members of most major unions. There was our Women's Project, a Minority Workers Rights Project; a small but effective network of union democracy lawyers, strengthening of union democracy law in a series of cases; assistance to federal employee unionists, a challenge to libel suits brought to harass union dissenters, a successful challenge to union attendance rules which disqualify over 90% of the members from running for office. In 1989 Susan Jennik, who had directed our Women's Project, became executive director and stayed on for five crucial years. In this period we concentrated on the Teamsters Fair Election Project, administered by Selma Marks. AUD went into federal court and convinced the judge to mandate strictly enforced fair election rules which enabled Ron Carey to win the race for president in 1991. For a short time, AUD's staff was decimated when the New Teamsters hired our entire full time staff. For a short time, I carried on with the help of my wife Revella until she was killed in a robbery in early 1996. Now, AUD's work is carried on by a new, able staff of Carl Biers as executive director, Henry Zeiger as assistant editor, and Alice Joseph-Harney as Women's Project Director. I will continue to serve as part time editor of Union Democracy Review. It's been a long time for me, close to 40 years since I first worked on the Machinists case in 1958. And gratifying years, because what has kept me going is meeting all those courageous, independent-minded unionists who uphold the honor of the labor move- ment by demanding that it live up to its professed ideals of democracy and decency, and working with all those fine people who have served on the AUD staff, on its Board of Directors and Advisory Board, and that small band of dedicated union democracy attor- neys who undertake the uncertain task of representing rank and file work groups. What makes me optimistic over the future of the labor movement, in good times and bad, is knowing that they are there, these champions of democracy and social justice. Greetings to all of you in this great cause. Beyond Benson: The Future ofAUD by Carl Biers t wasn't long after I started at AUD, that Herman began to talk of going off the payroll and cutting back to two days a week. I was still trying to figure out the filing, the book-keeping, and everything else so the thought of running AUD without his day-to-day guidance was unnerving, like being asked to drive someone's car without having the chance to find the headlights switch. Don't worry, I was told, Herman had made this idle threat before. But he was serious this time. AUD's future, he'd warned, depended on it learning to survive without his being there to pick up the pieces when things went wrong. So when Monday, September 3 rolled around, and he didn't show up, it was an anxious moment but one for which we were well prepared. How have we fared in the six months since Herman's semi-retirement? The basic machinery is running smoothly. Our publications feature first-rate reporting on devel- opments in the internal politics of the labor movement, many of them major events in which AUD is directly involved. Our counseling service is chugging along as Alice Joseph-Harney, Henry Zeiger, and I develop an ever-deeper understanding of the complex legal and organizational problems faced by union reformers. We've even sprouted a new project - a weekly legal clinic which advises workers whose unions don't adequately represent them in arbitrations. The transition has gone smoothly because of this dedicated and talented staff Henry, who came on at AUD around the time I did but has been agitating for union reform for decades, has become a vital part of our staff: an in-house desk top publishing company, a top-notch reporter, and a griot of local union politics. Alice came to us from the New Democratic Party in Canada and before that the labor movement in Trinidad. She's resurrected the Women's Project, aggressively pursued grants, and kept the office running smoothly. The transition has gone well, but we have our limits. One aspect of AUD's traditional program which we have not yet been able to carry out is events such as conferences. The ideas keep popping up: "Evaluating Government Monitorships", "Rank and File: The Missing Link in the AFL-CIO's Rebuilding Plan" but we simply don't have the resources to pull them together. Indeed this dinner would have been inconceivable without the volunteer efforts of Judy Schneider, Tony Ramirez, Frank Schonfeld, Alan Barnes, Ruth Spitz and several others. As we approach our 30th anniversary perhaps the success of this night will inspire others to volunteer, to further honor Herman by helping AUD to carry on his work. There's good reason to be optimistic about the labor movement. Years of hacking away at the legal obstacles to membership control, the successes of certain caucuses, and the official efforts to rebuild the labor movement emanating from the AFL-CIO have opened space for union democracy that did not exist a few years ago. The challenge, for AUD, reformers, and all those who look to labor as a force for social justice, is to take advantage of this fortuitous moment to build on our steady gains. Sposnors of the Herman Benson Dinner Robert J. Alexander J. Barry Fraser Ken Paff Naomi Allen Margaret R. Fraser Jonathan L. Palewicz Lewie Anderson Albert Fried * Oskar Paskal Francisca N. Araiza Dan Gallin Jeff Perry Betsy Aron Thomas H. Geoghegan * Basil Pollitt Elvia Arriola * Martin Glaberman Robin Potter * Edward Asner Michael J. Goldberg * Selwyn Raab Jim Atleson * Ronald Goldstock Antonio Ramirez t Alan Barnes * Bill Goode * Carl Raushenbush Florian Bartosic * Don Grinde Alan Reitman Erwin Baur Carlos Guzman Bob Repas * Lynn Bell Larry Hanley Victor G. Reuther * Bernard Bellush Barbara M. Harvey t Charles Owen Rice * Debra Bernhardt Gordon Haskell * John Riordan Adrian Bernick Jim Hayes Alan Ritter Paul Bernick Nat Hentoff Ray Rogers * Carl Biers $ Helen Hershkoff Hilda Rogin Alexander Bernhardt Bloom Sam Hirsch Sumner M. Rosen * David Bloom Arthur L. Holdeman Leon Rosenblatt * Jon Bloom Dick Hunsucker Michael Ruscigno Dan E. Boswell Alan Hyde * Carl Shier Sam Bottone Sue Inman Marion Shier George W Brooks * James B. Jacobs Ed Sadlowski Judith Brown Chomsky Susan Jennik Marlene Sadlowski Daniel E. Clifton * Alice Joseph-Harney $ William B. Schendel * Alice H. Cook Murray Kempton Judith R. Schneider t Thelma C. Correll Connie Kopelov Frank Schonfeld * John C. Cort * Karen S. Korenoski Cinthia Schuman Nola Hitchcock Cross * William Kornblum t Arthur Z. Schwartz * Kenneth C. Crowe Walter Kudla Leo Seidlitz Phyllis W Curott * Israel Kugler Patricia Sexton * Lucy Dames Jane Latour t Joel Shufro Forrest Darby Jack Levine Dan Siegel * Joan K. Davidson Paul Alan Levy t Eileen Silverstein * John Donaldson Richard A. Levy Ruth Spitz t Ronald Donovan Lloyd McAulay Joe Stack Michael Drake Mary McAulay George Strauss Leslie W Dunbar Ann McNamara Eileen Sullivan Steve Early Jim McNamara t Clyde W Summers t Irwin M. Echtman Selma Marks Lucille Sydnor Barbara Ehrenreich * Deborah Willen Meier * Thomas D. Thacher II Phima Engelstein Jennie Mendelson Keith Thomas Stanley Engelstein * Saul Mendelson Shelley Thomas Lauren Esposito Hank Miller Ray M. Tillman Hon. Jesse Etelson David Moberg Barbara Trees Gertrude Ezorsky Kim Moody Paul H. Tobias Samuel Farber William Moody Robert Walters Sandra Feldman Jack Newfield Irving Weinstein Martin Fishgold Ron Nobili B.J. Widick Rickie Flanders Cathy A. Nonas Ilene Winkler Harry Fleischman * Mike Orrfelt Max Wohl Anne Foner Lawrence O'Toole Sylvia Wohl Moe Foner * Iris Ovshinsky Michael D. Yates Arthur L. Fox t Stan Ovshinsky Henry Zeiger $ t AUD Board of Directors * AUD Advisory Board $ AUD staff To Herman, In deep appreciation for the knowledge and inspiration you have given to so many. Thank you for being a mentor and a friend.

Suwan JeHnnik

TT~EET~ ~r TTTTE~E ~T~EEeTTTrT~ Without you, Herman, we are just isolated lawyers, filing o union democracy cases when o * rank and flers learn of us *

through word of mouth. With * * you, Herman, we are part of " *o a movement, and for that we o* o: areforever grateful to you. *o

/ Judith Chomsky Dan Clifton Lauren Esposito Arthur Fox Michael Goldberg Barbara Harvey Thomas H. Geoghegan Paul Alan Levy Louie Nikolaidis Arthur Z. Schwartz Clyde Summers Ann Curry Thompson / Chip Yablonski, Charles Both, & Dan Edelman Greetings to Herman Benson from: Robert J. Alexander Dick Logan Helen M. Ambrose Julie McCall Gary Andersen Arch Macnair Betsy Aron Selma Marks Edward Asner John P. Meade Erwin Baur and Estar Baur Deborah Willen Meier Paul Berman Saul and Jennie Mendelson Elizabeth and Martin Biers Ed Meskin Bruce Blake Han Morrissey Mark Boberick Ed Moser Ralph S. Brown Suzanne M. Murphy Thelma Correll A.J. Muste Memorial Institute John C. Cort Doug and Melba Murray Lucy Dames Frederik C. Norberg Forrest Darby North Star Fund Frank De Filippi Frances O'Brien Dissent Magazine Stan and Iris Ovshinsky Ronald Donovan Jonathan L. Palewicz John Drew Louis Pardo Joseph Dunst Simone Plastrik Robert F. Eckersdorff Katha Polllitt David Eisen Jim Pope Jesse Etelson Miriam L. Quintero Samuel Farber Selwyn Raab Rickie and Pete Flanders REAP Harry Fleischman Bob Repas Miriam Frank Charles Owen Rice Albert Fried John Riordan Joseph and Lottie Friedman Herbert Robinson Dan Gallin Sari Schonfeld Rosokoff Dennis Gilbert Rick Rottmann Martin Glaberman Emilie and Edward A. Sadlowski Teresa Gloster Doris and Ed Sard Milton Goldner Jacob Schlitt Don Grinde Yetta Schneider Gordon K. Haskell Leo Seidlitz Helen Hershkoff Charles and Lenore Silberman Wilma Downey Hess Raymond Simon Lawrence Hyman Leon Slavin International Guild of Symphony, Frances A. Sosnoff Opera & Ballet Musicians Ruth Sachere Spitz Wells Keddie Mark Stern Mike Keenan William Stern Niilo E. Koponen Jack Stuart and Nancy Weston Joseph Krislov Lucille Sydnor Walter Kudla Jim Thomas Helen and Israel Kugler Alfred Vasquez Latino Workers Center Amos and Marcia Vogel Jane Latour Robert Walters Joel H. Levinson Marianna S. Wells Philip Lichtenberg Eleanor Yudkoff Richard Lipsitz Barbara Zeluck Herman Benson Celebration Dinner Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City ) March 22, 1997 ) Program Chair: Judith R. Schneider, President, Association for Union Democracy

Clyde W. Summers Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania AUD Board of Directors

Edward Sadlowski former District Director, United Steelworkers of America

AUD staff: Carl Biers Alice Joseph-Harney Henry Zeiger

Susan Jennik former AUD Executive Director

Michael Ruscigno Teamsters for a Democratic Union

Frank Schonfeld former Secretary-Treasurer, Painters' District Council 9 AUD Advisory Board

Herman Benson in reco nition o/ lHerma &enso

Jo a life devoted to hewping others. Providing a voice for the underdo and those seeing democracy within t1ir Union.

,,erman, you an . U 2. have made a tremendous difference .

-Always in solidarity,

ZTe Officer and Staff of United 9 ndustry Wor er 2istrct Council424

and its afi4 ated

Unitedjndutry 1orAers Cocal424

Unitedaic Service Empyyeei Union oca/424

KJ< ,in . ,oyle, Jr.

Vice-President Venera//rejident GeneralExective ,

-9-A The Teamsters Union joins with the Association for Union Democracy in saluting Herman Benson. We stand with you in the fight for workers' rights, good jobs, and a secure future for all Americans.

The TEAMSTERS Ron Carey, General President Teamsters Union 25 Louisiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001 Laborers'

I am a true laborer; International I earn what l eat; Get that I wear; Union of Give no man hate; Glad at other North America men S good. Local 665 William Shakespeare Ronald B. Nobili, Business Manager 6)J Officers and Members

GREETINGS TO HERMAN BENSON It Best wishes, THE ASSOCIATION FOR Herman! UNION DEMOCRACY Your work Robin B. Potter Labor b employment law, discrimination, has made sex and race harassment Mark S. Schaffner our fight, Workers' Compensation, Personal Injury t Products Liability and our success, Attorneys proud to work for possible unions and rank-and-file employees in individual cases The Members of and class actions Teamsters Local 966

30 North LaSalle St., Suite 1724 321 West 44th St., New York, NY Chicago, IL 60602 * Tel: (312) 759-2500 - Facsimile: (312) 759-0365 - : "He [the union reformer] must have moral sup- port; not merely private sighs of sympathy, but vociferous, articulate, forceful, widespread accli- mation; an unambiguous declaration that demo- cratic union reformers are right and those re- pressing them wrong. In short, the union militant needs support in its most elemental form." Herman Benson: "Intellectuals and the Lonely Union Reformer" You said it; You do it! Judith R. Schneider

Your lifetime of self-sacrificing commitment to and unwavering faith in the importance and power of the workers' movement is an inspiration to all of us who follow,

Love The next generation, Laura, Danny and Larry Engelstein

Herman Benson: a pioneer who cleared a path for those who followed. Our journey has been made easier by his efforts. TEAMSTERS

Ken Paff A Teamsters for a Democratic Union A

Thank you, Herman, for all your years of 7 dedicated service to AUD

Sincerely, HERETIC Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees to Insure Change Salute to Herman Benson The conscience of the labor movement A friend and inspiration for over 50 years Phima & Stanley Engelstein =

Congratulations,Herman, on a lifetime of dedication to Union Democracy the Kornblumfamily Thank you, Ben, for all IN SOLIDARITY you've done for my family andfor the labor movement. Eric G. Poulos Attorney at Law You've been an inspiration 188 Montague St. to me. Brooklyn, NY 11201 David Schonfeld 718 843-8262

In appreciation of all your efforts toward union democracy ... Paul Bermick Jim Jennings & Don (lil' Timmie) Kies Local #134 IBEW

George Washington wrote to James Madison in 1788: "... Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth" Herman Benson well understands such! Lloyd and Mary McAulay

HERO [L heros; fr. Gk heros] 1. a man who exhibits extraordinary bravery, firmness, fortitude or greatness of soul; a man admired and venerated for achievements and noble qualities. (OED, 1991 Ed.), 2. Herman Benson. With abiding respect and love, Phyllis W. Curott With the warmest and fondest memories of the greatest crusader of them all Burton Harrington Hall Proud to have been your student and your colleague Arthur Z. Schwartz With best wishes to Thanks to Louie Nikolaidis and Bro. Herman Benson Dan Clifton for keeping real From Bro. Frank Klamph union democracy alive in the System General Chairman courtroom when it's under attack in the union (deposed) System Council #33, IBEW From Larry Farkas,family and Teamsterfriends

Herman - The all time champion of Salute to H.B.- union democracy One of thirty-six Comradely, righteous souls Jim & Ann McNamara Jack Levine

We salute Herman Benson, Congratulations, his many successes and his Herman tireless efforts to build a strong and democratic labor movement. America is lucky Working Solutions Stanley Nightingale Henry F Murray, President

Best wishes for an active retirement Alan Barnes Steve Early & Arlington, Mass. Cathy Nonas We salute Herman Benson for a job well done & we salute

Our clients ... New Directions (Local 100, TWU), Members for a Better Union (Local 32B-32J, SEIU), and the New Caucus (ProfessionalStaff Congress) for carrying on the fight Kennedy Schwartz & Cure 113 University Place, New York, NY 10003 (212) 358-1500 Thomas M. Kennedy, Arthur Z. Schwartz, Ira Cure Larry Magarik, Lauren Esposito, Susan Mindell and Stuart Lichen On behalf of those men and women of the Marine Engineer's Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.) who tirelessly fought to bring democracy back to America's oldest maritime union (est. 1875), I salute Herman Benson for his advice, guidance and encourage- ment without which our cause would never have succeded. God bless Herman Benson Larry O'Toole, Past Chairman, M.A.D. Committee (Members Advocating Democracy), M.E.B.A. SPEF/encon Thank you, Herman, for your extraordinary sacrifices, contributions and efforts on behalf of individual union Tribute to PEF/Encon's mentor andfriend members, union JUSTICE DEMOCRACY democracy, free speech, INSPIRATION and the union DOGGED PERSISTENCE movement.

HERMAN BENSON Wayne M. Outten Jack A. Raisner Lankenau Kovner Kurtz & Outten, LLP Division 169 PEF/encon representing 1740 Broadway professional, scientific and technical New York, NY 10019 employees in the NY State Dept. of

To Brother Herman a fierce and courageousfighter for union democracy,justice and human rights. We salute and support you and the future important work of the AUD. from your friends at CCI: Lauren Draper * Sam Hirsch * Phil Mattera * Nilsa Rios Millie Rodriguez 0 Steve Wattenmaker * Kip Voytek * Ray Rogers

Greetings from Michael Sullivan Roofers Local #30 Philadelphia, PA

1 On the occasion of his retirement we salute Herman Benson for his 30 year committment to union democracy

A new political party for working people, endorsed by 9 international unions, and more than 300 local and regional labor bodies For information, call (212) 946-5501

National Federation of Independent Unions A Division of LIUNA/AFL-CIO "A New Beginning"

7ank4 ya u o a ur ce~ia e"fo'ti e the cauae o cwg demcc

HERMAN BENSON 7e Oqcujatc o SM4# A4n4d4

honors us all ea qm4 &"m Greetings to Ben 30,z oa9 e w4wouew and also to Debbie, Sandy and Saul Ra f'ie, e 944%. eCk (we'd be with you if we could) Peter and Lew Graham

Thanks to Herman Benson for decades of building Democracy and Power for working people

I . Labor Notes Detroit