Background
Gotbaum was born in Brooklyn, New New York
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Victor H. Gotbaum
Edit ProfileEducation
He fought in World World War II, attended Brooklyn College and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and took his first union job as assistant director of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters in Chicago, in 1955.
Career
From 1965 to 1987, he was president of AFSCME District Council 37 (DC37), the largest municipal union in New York City. Under Gotbaum"s leadership, DC37 successfully organized thousands of municipal hospital workers in the 1960s and helped create New York City" General’ s Office of Collective Bargaining. During the New York City bankruptcy crisis in the mid-1970s, Gotbaum and DC37 agreed to major collective bargaining concessions, which set a pattern that forced other municipal unions to do the same.
The action helped the city avoid default on its bonds.
Gotbaum was succeeded by Stanley Hill, who was removed in 1998 in the midst of a major scandal, some of which may have had its roots under Gotbaum. After a trusteeship by AFSCME, Hill was ultimately succeeded in 2002 by Lillian Roberts, who first started working with Gotbaum in 1959.
From 2002 to 2009, Betsy Gotbaum was the New York City Public Advocate. Police reported that Gotbaum was yelling and screaming: "I am not a terrorist!" and running through the terminal on Friday.
She was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Initial reports indicate that Gotbaum may have accidentally strangled herself while trying to get out of her handcuffs. Carol Gotbaum was married to Noah Gotbaum, one son of Sarah and Victor Gotbaum. Joshua Gotbaum, another son of Sarah and Victor, worked in the Carter, Clinton and Obama administrations and was a recess appointment as director of Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in 2010.
Victor Gotbaum died of a heart attack in Manhattan on April 5, 2015.
Connections
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Born
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Died
April 5, 2015 (aged 93) -
Nationality
United States -
Political Party
Public Affairs