The family moved to Los Angeles, California, where Sidell graduated from public high school.
In 1963, he was elected a vice president of the Carpenters union and served on the general executive board.
But when Meany hand-picked his assistant, Lane Kirkland, as his successor, Sidell and other contenders for the presidency withdrew.
After his retirement, President Jimmy Carter appointed Sidell to the Panama Canal Commission Supervisory Board in 1980.
In 1976, Sidell agreed to serve on a new AFL-CIO board which would settle jurisdictional disputes arising between affiliates.