Martin J. Levitt
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Martin J. Levitt (14 October 1944 – 21 November 2004) was a supervisory trainer, union buster and a union organizer on and off over a 20-year period before 1987 when he reportedly changed direction. He went from anti union to anti management and founded Justice for Labor Foundation[1] and later wrote about his career in his autobiography released in 1993 entitled Confessions of a Union Buster which he authored with Terry Conrow Toczynski.[2] The book found success among labor unions due to the lurid details he outlined about union busting tactics he claims to have used. Levitt says he entered the field in 1969 "as a young man with no particular feelings about unions but with a desire to use his considerable wits and smooth tongue to get ahead."[3] Levitt claims to have been "one of the multimillion-dollar industry's best talents...caught up in the money and intellectual pleasure of the pursuit."[3] During his so-called reformed career he was known for holding seminars, newspaper articles and some national television interviews such as 60 minutes and the TODAY show.[4]
In the book Levitt details his work history from an inexperienced consultant first hired by a former IBEW union organizer named John Sheridan[5] who had earned his stripes as a disciple of Nathan Shefferman who wrote a guide to union busting. Levitt recalled during his interview that Sheridan's 2nd in command Nick Sangalis did a background check and found "one" criminal skeleton in his closet: a conviction for receiving stolen property[6]: 52 which, as detailed in his book, would become one of a long list of criminal convictions along with chronic alcoholism and mental illness for which the latter was diagnosed in 1977.[6]: 141 Levitt's book details his addictions to money and alcohol and parallels he drew to his serial criminal history including forgeries, check fraud, insurance fraud, arson,[6]: 157 [7] abusive outbursts, rehab centers and prison with what he ofttimes claimed to be what caused his illegal union busting activities at some 200[6]: 4 organizations. His consulting career was atypical and went through upheavels until it culminated in what he terms was his "awakening" in 1987 when out of desperation he called the AFL-CIO offices in Washington DC [8] and spoke to the publisher of the RUB sheet (Report on Union Busters) saying "they had one less union buster to worry about".[9] and soon thereafter he became a self-proclaimed authority on union busting. His critics believe he was a clever opportunist who found one more way to exploit labor unions as an end to his means.
References
- ^ Union Buster Changes Sides by Dan Fitch; Register-Pajaronian, June 8, 1989,
- ^ "Union Buster Tells All in Book". September 5, 1993. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ a b "At Work: A Union Buster Confesses". The New York Times. September 5, 1993. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ Union-buster changes sides by Dan Fitch, Register-Pajaronian June 8, 1989
- ^ Union Buster. By David Moberg, par. 13
- ^ a b c d Levitt, Martin (1993). Confessions of a Union Buster. ISBN 9780517583302.
- ^ The People of the State of California Marin County Case #24297 Filed Aug. 10, 1979 for corporal injury against Alice Levitt including willfully and maliciously setting fire to personal property
- ^ Baker, Bob (September 5, 1993). "Union Buster Turns to 'a Labor of Love'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Park, Myung K. (1993). Confession of a Unions Buster p. 5 par. 3. ISBN 0517583305.