George Kourpias oral history interview, 2011-12-06

George Kourpias's father was smuggled into the U.S. from Macedonia to escape conscription into the Turkish army. Eventually settling in Sioux City, Iowa, both parents worked in the packinghouses. Family life was difficult, with the loss of two siblings and his mother contracting the flu in the 1918 epidemic. That experience instilled a deep love for family and a commitment to unionism in George Kourpias. Kourpias has been a member of the IAM for 60 years. He joined the IAM in 1952 (his father was not happy he joined an AFL union instead of the CIO) and was soon elected financial secretary. He joined the International staff in 1966, became general vice president in 1984, and president of the IAM in 1989. During his term he was involved in the Eastern Air Lines strike, the election of John Sweeney to the AFL-CIO, and unification talks with the UAW and Steelworkers. He retired in 1997. ; George Kourpias begins the interview discussing his parents, including his mother contracting the flu in the 1918 epidemic and how his father coming to the U.S. He talks about his first jobs selling newspapers and shining shoes before discussing leaving school to work in Chicago. Eventually he returned to Sioux city and began work in a plant organized by the IAM. Kourpias discusses being elected chair of the negotiating committee in 1957 and the following two-month-long strike. Discussion of the strike is emotional for Kourpias. He tells stories about picket duty, how the women prevented the police from making arrests, and an anonymous caller threatening his infant daughter if Kourpias did not quit. After the strike, Kourpias tells about personal conflicts with local president and the work involved in keeping the local together. He then moves on to his getting hired with the International and discusses his work on NLRB hearings, National Council of Senior Citizens, and becoming administrative assistant. He talks about filing suit against OPIC, the creation of the Energy Coalition, and president Winpisinger’s ideas on coalitions. He ...