Legends of Labor
Hall of Fame
Legends of Labor
Hall of Fame
Bio details
Wendell W. Young III
President UFCW 1776
(1963-2005)
COMMITMENT TO HIS UNION AND THE ENTIRE LABOR MOVEMENT-At age sixteen, while a sophomore at Northeast Catholic High School, he began working as a part-time clerk at an Acme Markets store in Northeast Philadelphia.
After being encouraged by his own father to get involved in the union, Mr. Young’s co-workers elected him as shop steward.
At the age of twenty-three, in 1962 Wendell W. Young successfully ran for union executive office, and eventually became the youngest labor leader in Pennsylvania.
During his forty-three years as President, Mr. Young expanded the union to include more than 24,000 members.
He supported the creation of Super Fresh Markets and the creative employee stock ownership bid that saved Acme Markets and thousands of jobs throughout the region.
Under Mr. Young’s leadership, Local 1776 won national acclaim for negotiating innovative employee benefits, including comprehensive healthcare coverage, pension plans, childcare benefits and higher education assistance.
POLITICAL IMPACT -Beginning with John F. Kennedy’s Presidential campaign in 1960, Mr. Young was active in Democratic Party politics throughout Pennsylvania, serving as leader of Philadelphia’s 35 th Ward, and as a delegate to eight Democratic National Conventions.
In 1972 he headed U.S. Senator George McGovern’s presidential campaign in Philadelphia, winning the City by 80,000 votes.
He was a trusted advisor to both Governor and U.S. Senator Casey.
An early backer of Jimmy Carter, Mr. Young served on the President’s Citizens’ Panel on the Panama Canal.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT -He pioneered a labor alliance with the environmental movement as a leader of the Citizens’ Labor Energy Coalition that advocated for green energy and consumer rights.
Throughout his life, having recognized the impact of the global economy, Mr. Young was committed to establishing and expanding relationships between the American labor movement and workers’ advocates throughout the world. In carrying out his mission, he went to Brazil, Great Britain, Cuba, Bulgaria, Ireland, Russia, Eastern Europe and Togo, among other nations. In 1979, believing that adversaries should dialogue, he was among the first U.S. labor leaders to visit China. In the late 1990s, Mr. Young played an instrumental role in establishing the Pennsylvania Welcoming Center, an organization supporting immigrant rights.
CIVIL RIGHTS | GIVING BACK – Throughout his career, Mr.
Young built community alliances to provide a voice for
the underprivileged. He was active in both the peace and
civil rights movements.
Mr. Young was active in fund raising activities for his alma maters, Northeast Catholic High School and St. Joseph’s University, and for St. Patrick’s Seminary, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland. He served on the Board of Directors of Northeast Catholic High School’s Alumni Association, and was involved in numerous charitable and civic activities, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Peggy Browning Fund, the Variety Club, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and was a long-time member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians John Kehoe Div. #1, Girardville, Pa.