Joseph Catalanotti

Joseph Catalanotti (born Giuseppe Catalanotti; 1887–1946) was an Italian-American labor leader who co-founded the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America union, served as one of its vice presidents, and also served as president of the Free Italy American Labor Council.

Background Joseph Catalanotti was born around 1887 in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Italy. He had at least one sibling, a sister. His last task was to head the memorial committee for the main ACWA founder, Sidney Hillman, who had died of a heart attack only days earlier in July 1946.

In 1943, Catalanotti left the Italian-American Labor Council to become president of the Free Italy American Labor Council (FIALC), which represented some 300,000 Italian-American trade union members. ) Catalanotti was also a member of a war-time group called the National Committee for the Recognition of Italy.

Personal life and death Catalanotti married Elizabeth and had two children.

Joseph Catalanotti died age 59 at his Brooklyn home of a heart attack.

Legacy On the night of Catalanotti's death, the ACWA's new president, Jacob Potofsky, said that he would be "long remembered for his energy and idealism, his great love of humanity, and his leadership in the fight against fascism, both here and in his native land." New York State CIO president Louis Hollander, who had served on the Joint Board with Catalanotti, said he had "earned the respect and gratitude of all workers for his ceaseless efforts on behalf of a better America and a better world."