Jay Mazur was born to a Jewish family in the East Bronx on May 21, 1932, the son of Simon Mazur, a cloak maker and union man who emigrated from Poland to New York; his mother, Mollie, died when he was 11, leaving his father to raise four children - twin boys and two older girls.
[1] After graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1951, Mazur began work in the Health and Welfare Department of New York City's dressmaker's Local 22.
During his tenure in Local 23 and 23-25, Mazur was involved in major organizing efforts, as well as significant social and educational programs for union members.
He was manager of Local 23-25 in 1982, when thousands of workers in New York City's Chinatown went on strike to win a fair contract.
During his tenure as President, Mazur led major campaigns to stem the decline of garment manufacturing in the United States.