Biography.guide
Home › People › Ed Sullivan
Portrait of Ed Sullivan

Ed Sullivan

American labor union leader

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Ed Sullivan

Edward C. Sullivan is a former American labor union leader, who served as the 14th President of the Building and Construction Trade Department and the 13th President of the International Union of Elevator Constructors.

Early career Born in Boston, Sullivan became an assistant elevator mechanic in 1964, and joined the International Union of Elevator Constructors. In 1981, he was elected as business manager of his union local, campaigning on democratic reforms. By 1996, he was appointed as assistant to the union's president, and then in 1998 he won election as president of the union.

Career In 2000, Sullivan was elected president of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. In the post, he created the Helmets to Hardhats to encourage military veterans to work in the industry, and he formed the Construction Users Roundtable to work with employers.

Sullivan was also elected as a vice-president of the AFL-CIO. He also chaired the boards of directors of the National Coordinating Committee for Multi-employer Plans and the Center to Protect Workers' Rights. He retired from all his posts in 2007, but accepted a general board seat on Ullico.

Personal life In 1997, Sullivan received the Gompers-Murray-Meany Award, the top award of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ed Sullivan?

American labor union leader

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ed Sullivan

· Wikidata: Q122351081

· DBpedia: Ed Sullivan (unionist)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ed Sullivan. https://biography.guide/ed-sullivan-q56cfbc83/

MLA: "Ed Sullivan." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ed-sullivan-q56cfbc83/.

Chicago: "Ed Sullivan." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ed-sullivan-q56cfbc83/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:17 UTC