Edgar Romney is a longtime union leader with the Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees (UNITE) and its subsequent unions Unite Here and Workers United, SEIU. Because of his position as secretary-treasurer of Workers United, he also holds the title of vice president with the Service Employees International Union. He is a board member of the Workers United-owned Amalgamated Bank of New York. ¹²

Career

Romney’s union activism career started in the 1960s with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU). By 1976, he was director of organization for the union’s largest affiliate. ³

In 2009, Romney served as the first head of Workers United after it split from UNITE, the successor union to the ILGWU. ⁴ He was previously a vice president at UNITE. ⁵

Romney has been a board member of Amalgamated Bank since 1995, where his son also works as an executive vice president. ⁶⁷ Amalgamated Bank supports left-leaning environmentalist issue positions, abortion access, LGBT interests, liberal expansionist immigration policies, and other left-leaning policy and cultural positions. ⁸⁹

Romney was secretary-treasurer of Make Work Pay, a left-leaning, union-based national push for pay, benefits, and other compensation increases for domestic workers. The campaign was launched with the support of some of the nation’s largest unions in 2005. ¹⁰ While it also engaged in political work, by 2007 it was seen as a failed effort to boost union influence and power. ¹¹

Romney earned $229,910 in 2013 as secretary-treasurer of Workers United. ¹²

Other Leadership Roles

While Romney has engaged nationally on many union issues, he is also involved in local New York City union efforts. As of 2017, he was on the Garment District Steering Committee in New York City. That year, he was named Grand Marshal of New York City Labor Day parade because of his work for labor unions. ¹³

Romney is on the Board of Directors for the A. Philip Randolph Institute, a constituency group for African American union members and activists named for black union and civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph. ¹⁴ He is also on the Board of Directors for the Workmen’s Institute, a left-leaning union group representing Jewish workers, and the Board of Directors for the Sidney Hillman Foundation, a left-leaning union and civil rights-oriented journalism non-profit. ¹⁵¹⁶

Romney is a member of the Workers United Metropolitan Area Joint Board. ¹⁷

1. Workers United, Our Leadership, Accessed July 6, 2019. https://www.workersunited.org/o
2. Amalgamated Bank, Board of Directors, Accessed July 6, 2019. https://www.amalgamatedbank.com/board-directors
3. Workers United, Our Leadership, Accessed July 6, 2019. https://www.workersunited.org/o
4. Juan Gonzales, “Service Employees International Union president goes to the extreme,” March 25, 2009. Accessed July 6, 2019.https://www.nydailynews.com/news/money/service-employees-international-union-president-extreme-article-1.368684
5. Juan Gonzales, “Union shocker: UNITE-HERE boss faces ax in labor war,” May 29, 2009. Accessed July 5, 2019. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/money/union-shocker-unite-here-boss-faces-ax-labor-war-article-1.408499
6. Amalgamated Bank, Board of Directors, Accessed July 6, 2019. https://www.amalgamatedbank.com/board-directors
7. Amalgamated Bank, Executive Team, Accessed July 6, 2019. https://www.amalgamatedbank.com/executive-team
8. Amalgamated Bank, Executive Team, Accessed July 6, 2019. https://www.amalgamatedbank.com/our-story
9. Elle Rahilly, “Changing finance to finance change,” November 2, 2017. Accessed July 6, 2019.

   https://www.amalgamatedbank.com/blog/changing-finance-finance-change

10. Change to Win, “Change to Win launches Make Work Pay! Campaign to preserve America’s middle class,” April 22, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2019.

    http://www.changetowin.org/archive/news/change-win-launches-make-work-pay-campaign-preserve-americas-middle-class

11. Influence Watch, Change to Win, Accessed July 6, 2019.

    https://www.influencewatch.org/labor-union/change-to-win/

12. U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Organizational Annual Report, Accessed July 6, 2019. https://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=550512&rptForm=LM2Form
13. Rosemary Feitelberg, “Workers United’s Edgar Romney to lead New York’s Labor Day parade as Grand Marshal,” August 24, 2017. Accessed July 6, 2019. https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/workers-united-edgar-romney-new-york-citys-labor-day-parade-as-grand-marshall-10965775/
14. A. Philip Randolph Institute, Our Board of Directors, Accessed July 6, 2019. http://www.apri.org/board-of-directors.html
15. The Workmen’s Circle, Board of Directors, Accessed July 6, 2019. https://circle.org/who-we-are/board-of-directors/
16. The Sydney Hillman Foundation, Accessed July 6, 2019. http://hillmanfoundation.org/sidney-hillman-foundation
17. Workers United Metropolitan Area Joint Board, Accessed July 6, 2019. https://www.nycclc.org/affiliate/workers-united-metropolitan-area-joint-board