St. Louis – Seafarers International Union President Emeritus Michael Sacco, 86, passed away of natural causes on Dec. 28, 2023 in St. Louis, surrounded by his family.
A proud son of Brooklyn, N.Y., born to Antonio and Gaetana Sacco, he is survived by his wife Sophie, daughter Valerie Moore, son John Sacco, daughter Angela Baker, daughter Anne Marie Fry, 16 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and sisters Ida DiCanio and Marie Sacco.
Brother Sacco was the longest-serving president in Seafarers (SIU) history, having led the organization from 1988 until his retirement in February 2023, a period spanning nearly 35 years.
“Mike’s leadership at the Seafarers International Union benefited generations of merchant mariners and all working people,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in an article announcing Sacco’s retirement in March 2023. “Mike led his union with integrity and a fighting spirit that he learned as a rank-and-file member.”
SIU President David Heindel described Sacco in the same article as “an inspiration to members and officials alike.”
SERVED WITH INTEGRITY AND DISTINCTION
Brother Sacco served in the U.S. Air Force from 1954 to 1958 before joining the Seafarers in 1958 and working aboard U.S.-flag merchant vessels. In 1960, he came ashore to serve the SIU in a succession of union posts, including those of patrolman, port agent and headquarters representative. He served as vice president of the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship from 1968 to 1979 and helped prepare the next generation of merchant mariners.
Sacco served as president of the SIU’s Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters (AGLIW) for nearly 35 years, beginning in June 1988. He also worked as president of both the Seafarers International Union of North America (a federation of autonomous unions that includes the SIU AGLIW) and the Maritime Trades Department (MTD) throughout the same period.
In November 1991, at its 19th Biennial Constitutional Convention, Sacco was elected a vice president of the AFL-CIO, the federation of 60 national and international unions representing more than 14 million workers in the United States. He eventually became the senior vice president of the AFL-CIO Executive Council as its longest-serving member.
TIME IN ST. LOUIS
A protege of the late SIU President Paul Hall, Sacco from 1980 to 1988 directed the SIU AGLIW’s Great Lakes and Inland Waters division as vice president. Based in St. Louis, he served as secretary- treasurer of the Greater St. Louis Area and Vicinity Port Council (an MTD-chartered organization) and as an executive board member of the Missouri State AFL-CIO. Sacco also was vice president of the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship from 1968 to 1979. The school, located on the grounds of the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Md., prepares men and women for a career aboard U.S.–flag commercial vessels and provides upgrading opportunities to active members.
His big personality and even bigger heart were relentless in ensuring that working people had a seat at the table in every boardroom and that their voices were heard in every hall of power.
MEMORIAL DONATIONS
In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tony Sacco Memorial Scholarship Fund, Charleston Port & Seafarers Society https://www.shopeasycart.com/store.php?store=charleston-port-and-seafarers or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?.
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