James Brettell (January 2, 1845 – November 13, 1929) was a British-born American banker and labor unionist.
Born in South Staffordshire in England, Brettell began working at the New British Iron Company at Brierley Hill when only eight years old.
[1][2] Brettell joined the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers in the 1880s, and was corresponding representative of his local in 1888.
After his business closed, he found work in Mingo Junction, Ohio, as a puddler, then as a heater, and increased his union activity.
In 1893, he served a term as a vice-president of the American Federation of Labor, while campaigning for compulsory arbitration between employers and unions.