George Barasch (December 10, 1910 – August 11, 2013) was a US union labor leader who led both the Allied Trades Council and Teamsters Local 815 (New York City), representing a combined total of 11,000 members.

[3][4][5] His disputes with the United States government in the mid-1960s over control of union benefit funds ultimately led to proposed legislation that prompted and evolved into the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

The semi-annual AEF conferences served as a forum for high-ranking political figures, academics, legal scholars, and civil rights activists including United States Senator William Proxmire, Martin Luther King Jr., Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States William O. Douglas, U.S. President Gerald Ford, U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale, labor columnist Victor Riesel, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Harrison Salisbury, and economist Leo Cherne.

[11] The newspaper received a citation award from the United States Treasury Department from Henry Morgenthau Jr. on May 27, 1943, for "distinguished services rendered in behalf of the War Savings Program.

"[12] On January 1, 1947, Barasch created the Allied Trades Council to incorporate the unions he had organized in the past decade, and soon after, he sought and was granted affiliation with the International Leather Goods, Plastic & Novelty Workers Union, which allowed Allied Trades Council to be designated as an AFL (American Federation of Labor) organization.

The committee reviewed national reports on racketeering activity, maintained a list of criminal union offenders, and educated members on crime detection.

"If the thugs don't back down, Barasch gets into the streets himself with as many union members as are needed, and they fight it out," labor columnist Victor Riesel wrote.

"[16] In the union's newsletter, distributed throughout New York, Barasch noted he was ready to "take 1,000 members off the job and meet them in the streets and wipe them out.

When a pro-Soviet United Electrical Workers group, led by Jim Lustig, attempted to gain access to secret intelligence and suppress production on a missile being produced by an S.W.

Farber plant set for Korea (to match the Soviet Chinese rocket "mangling" U.S. troops), Barasch worked with the employees to eliminate this communist element from the union.

Barasch responded in kind, noting "the decision to place the Crusade on the convention's agenda is a reflection of the deep-felt concern of our membership over the current global struggle for men's minds.

"[20] In 1952, a prescription drug ring was discovered in New York where thousands of patients were manipulated to purchase unapproved, high-priced pharmaceuticals.

These medications were placed in pharmacies by unethical pharmacists and doctors who partnered to exploit unassuming customers for financial gain.

"[21] One effective campaign included soliciting new union members through Tyrone Power's "Freedom U.S.A." radio program, a weekly show about the activities of a Senator in Washington.

But for the most part, it you are a working man or woman, you either can't afford a policy at all or you have a small one which is a burden on your shrinking pocket book.

[7][13] In the early 1960s, US Attorney Robert Morgenthau began a series of investigations into possible abuses of pension funds by New York unions.

The investigations led to the sentencing of Max Davis, secretary-treasurer of the Independent Brotherhood of Production, Maintenance & Operating Employes [sic], Local 10 in New York, on September 13, 1963, for embezzling $16,500 from a union welfare fund on which he was trustee.

Other federal grand jury indictments for misappropriation of funds in this time period included Ralph Gordon, former business agent in New York City for the American Guild of Variety Artists, and James Hoffa, Teamsters Union president.

[26] In July 1963, Barasch found himself pulled into the investigations, when he obtained an order temporarily stopping execution of a federal subpoena requesting records on two Teamster Union welfare funds associated with overseas research foundations.

"[29][30] The purpose of the session was to "examine records of welfare funds" exceeding $4 million in assets of two unions led by Barasch, including the Allied Trades Council (New Jersey) and Local 815 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in New York (also known as the Drug, Chemical, Cosmetic, Plastics and Affiliated Industries Warehouse Employes [sic].

[33] Barasch stated elsewhere that "a delegation of unionists [went] to London last August" and "he had been making plans for future implementation of the foundations' monies,"[29][34] but invoked the Fifth Amendment throughout his testimony as advised by his attorneys and supplied only the names and addresses of the union officials.

[42][43][44][45][46][47] At one point, McClellan exclaimed "I'm begging you now to get it back," to management trustee Lewis G. Bernstein, referring to the joint welfare fund for the two unions.

[57] Yet, McClellan could not produce any reports of union members "losing medical or dental care," which he alleged would happen as a result of the reorganization of funds.

[59] Ironically, McClellan's finding that the funds of the foundations "could have been disposed of or distributed at the whim of the principals of these corporations" and "had they decided to divide [the fund] among themselves, they could have done so freely and with apparent legal impunity," in the absence of Barasch or his associates ever doing so, provided support for Barasch's good intentions, consistent with his early union activities.

[60] Soon after the hearings concluded, multiple news commentaries were published highlighting the need for reform of laws governing union welfare and pension funds.

[61][62][63] In August 1965, Senator Jacob K. Javits (R) of New York introduced a bill to prevent transfer of welfare and pension funds outside the United States, in addition to other regulations.

[70] By 1966, his semi-annual educational conferences had attracted civil rights advocates, leading politicians, legal scholars, academics, economists and prominent journalists.

Shop Stewards' Educational Conference - November 10, 1966 (Americana Hotel, NYC) Union Mutual Benefit Association Conference - December 14, 1966 (Americana Hotel, NYC) Allied Educational Foundation Conference - May 2, 1967 (Americana Hotel, NYC) Allied Educational Foundation Conference - November 21, 1967 (Americana Hotel, NYC) Allied Educational Foundation Conference - May 2, 1968 (Americana Hotel, NYC) Allied Educational Foundation Conference - November 26, 1968 (Americana Hotel, NYC) Allied Educational Foundation Conference - May 8, 1969 (Americana Hotel, NYC) Allied Educational Foundation Conference - November 18, 1969 (Americana Hotel, NYC) Barasch continued to be active in activities benefiting working and retired union workers for the remainder of his life, and held several positions to benefit community and health organizations, including serving as President of the New York Cardiac Center (NYCC) from 1970 to 2000, editor of the NYCC publication Cardiac Journal, Labor Consultant to the Queens County District Attorney Thomas J. Mackell and Director of the Queens County Crime Prevention Board, Member of the Honor Legion of the New York Police Department, and Research Professor of Management at Stevens Institute of Technology.

The tribute read as follows: "In a period when all too few media of information and communication are disposed to accord labor dignified recognition, your attitude is refreshing.

Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Allied Educational Foundation in association with the New York Cardiac Center, Inc.[87] Barasch, G., Thompson, E., Abrams, F., & Baron, Murray.