The Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO is in a profound state of grief following the news that former MTD President Michael “Mike” Sacco died earlier this week at age 86. President Sacco passed away of natural causes, surrounded by his family.
Sacco was the MTD’s longest serving president, with 35 years at the helm and a total of 65 years of service in the Labor Movement. During that time, he also presided over his home union, the Seafarers International Union of North America.
Sacco had stepped down from the presidency at the MTD Executive Board meeting last February, following a storied career that spanned multiple eras of Labor history. He was once called the “Dean of the AFL-CIO Executive Board” as its longest-serving member (since 1991) prior to his retirement.
Over the coming days, we expect many moving words of tribute to this inspirational man and his legacy. In the meantime, we invite all those who are interested in learning more about him to revisit the career retrospective coverage in the Seafarers Log concerning his retirement.