Nelson "Jack" Edwards

Who was Nelson "Jack" Edwards?

Nelson "Jack" Edwards, 1917–1974, was Vice President of the UAW, and a founder of CBTU, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

Nelson "Jack" Edwards United Auto Workers VP was born in 1917 on a farm in Lowndes County, Al. In 1937 he moved to Detroit and worked at the Chrysler plant, where he became active in the local union. Inspired by his brother John who had told him the union was doing good things, Edwards began his union career during the union growth of the 1930s. He was elected UAW Union steward to represent workers in Chrysler's Foundry plant. He was laid off from Chrysler in 1941, and later obtained a job at the Ford Lincoln Plant on Detroit’s west side. Immediately, Edwards became active in his new union, Local 900, at that time freely-recognized by the Ford Motor Company. He served on the local’s education, citizenship, and by-laws committee and in 1944 was chosen to be chairman of that committee. Jack was involved in the civic and political life of Detroit, the State of Michigan, as well as the Nation for many years where he made substantial contributions.

In 1947 Edwards became an International Representative assigned to Region 1A Detroit’s Westside. His first major assignment was as an organizer in the UAW's drive to win Caterpillar workers into UAW, and away from the Farm Equipment Workers. Following that successful campaign to swell UAW ranks with agricultural implement workers, Edwards returned to his region and became a servicing representative. He helped handle plant problems in Ford Lincoln, Helsey-Hayes and several malleable iron plants. He completed 14 years as an International Representative. A dedicated union activist, Edwards rose through the union ranks, starting as a line steward to become the first black man elected to the UAW’s Executive Board, May 1962. A year later, in May 1963, he was asked by UAW President Walter P. Reuther to go to Birmingham, Alabama to assist African Americans in their struggle for equality. He was re-elected to that executive board position three times and in 1970 was elected union Vice President. He held this post for 15 years, when delegates appointed him to the UAW's International Executive Board. An ardent and persistent fighter in the struggle for civil rights, he was one of the founders of the Trade Union Leadership Council in 1957 and now TULC_MDLCA; one of the founders of the Negro labor Council in 1959, Headed by Philip Randolph; and one of the founders of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist in September 1972. As Vice President of the UAW, he headed the following Departments and Councils: Alcoa, Allen Industries; Bendix; Borg-Warner; Budd; Die Cast; Doehler-Jarvis; Donaldson; Drop Forge and Heat Treat; Eaton; Electric Storage Battery; Ex-Cell-O; Federal Mogul; Foundry; FMC-Food Machinery; Heating-Air Conditioning-Radiation and Refrigeration; Hoover; Houdaille; Independents-Parts and Suppliers; Indian Head; Kelsey-Hayes; Koehring; McQuay-Norris; Midland Ross; Modine; Motor Wheel; Purolator; Standard Products; Sundstrand Council; and Teledyne. He was also Co-Director of the Manpower Training and Development Department and Chairman of UAW's Southeastern Michigan Community Action Program Council. Jack was a member of many organizations including: NAACP, Detroit Labor Action Council, New Detroit, Inc., Metropolitan Fund, Inc. United Foundation, COBTUU, Citizens Crusade Against Poverty, American Civil Liberties, Union Wayne County Stadium Authority, etc. Nelson Jack Edwards and the UAW Foundry Conferences were synonymous since its founding in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the year of 1948.