caption religion birth_place birth_date article_title name occupation
victor bussie united methodist montrose community 27 january 1919 victor bussie
 victor v. bussie louisiana afl-cio president former firefighter
victor bussie

victor v. bussie -lrb- ; january 27 , 1919 -- september 4 , 2011 -rrb- was until his retirement in 1997 the 41-year unopposed president of the louisiana afl-cio , having first assumed the mantle of union leadership in 1956 .
journalists often described him as the most significant non-elected `` official '' in his state 's politics .
bussie 's influence with governors and state legislators became so great in the 1970s that a trade association known as the louisiana association of business and industry -lrb- labi -rrb- was established as a counterbalance to the afl-cio .
labi won a huge victory in 1976 with the passage of the state 's still-standing right-to-work legislation .
