Marge Carey

Who is Marge Carey?

Marge Carey, MBE was a trade unionist and served as President of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers from 1997 to 2006.

Carey was born in Middlesbrough, although her family soon moved to Liverpool.

Carey joined the USDAW in 1972, whilst working at Vernons Pools, and was appointed as an area organiser in 1978. She was promoted to Divisional Officer for the union's North West region in February 1990 and continued in that position until she retired in 2001. She was elected President of the USDAW from 1997 until 2006.

She also served as a member of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress from 1998 until 2006 and was awarded an MBE in 1998 "for services to industrial relations".

After retiring, Carey was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and became active in the Merseyside branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, serving as a branch committee member. She died of motor neurone disease, known as Lou Gehrig's disease in North America, on 23 January 2012, aged 73.