page_title: George Baldanzi
section_title: Early career
hierarchical_section_title: George Baldanzi / Early career
caption_attribution_description: English: George Baldanzi speaking in Italy after WWII
context_page_description: George Baldanzi was an American trade unionist. He was the founding executive vice president of the Textile Workers Union of America, and had a rivalry with Emil Rieve, the founding president of the organization. This rivalry led to his ouster from the TWUA in 1952, after which he joined the United Textile Workers of America as national organizing director. Following the merger of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations into the AFL-CIO in 1958, Baldanzi was president of the United Textile Workers of America from 1958 until his death in 1972.
context_section_description: Baldanzi began his work in trade unionism by founding the Dyers Foundation, a textile workers union that would eventually expand into the AFL-affiliated United Textile Workers. Baldanzi was, with Emil Rieve, one of the founding members of the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) in 1939. He had been elected president of the original United Textile Workers of America (UTWA) when its previous president, Frank Gorman had been removed. Rieve was elected as president of the TWUA, and Baldanzi served as the organization's executive vice president. He also served as the chairman of the CIO's Italian-American Trade Union committee during World War II.
caption: Baldanzi giving a speech in Italy
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