Emeritus President of the Seafarers International Union Michael Sacco passed away in St. Louis on December 28, 2023, surrounded by his family. He died of natural causes at the age of 86.
Mike headed SIU from 1988 until his retirement in February 2023, a tenure of almost 35 years, making him the president with the longest tenure in the organization’s history.
In the deep sea, Great Lakes, and inland trades, professional American merchant seafarers operating aboard American-flagged vessels are represented by the Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes, and Inland Waters, or AFL-CIO.
Beginning in June 1988, Sacco presided over the Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes, and Inland Waters (AGLIW) division of the SIU for almost 35 years.
👉 For more insights, check out this resource.
During the same time period, he also served as president of the Maritime Trades Department (MTD) and the Seafarers International Union of North America (a federation of autonomous unions that includes the SIU AGLIW).
Furthermore, Sacco was chosen as vice president of the AFL-CIO, a confederation of 60 domestic and international unions that collectively represent over 14 million American workers, during its 19th Biennial Constitutional Convention in November 1991. Eventually, he rose to the position of senior vice president and was the longest-serving member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council.
👉 Discover more in this in-depth guide.
Vice president of the SIU AGLIW’s Great Lakes and Inland Waters division from 1980 to 1988, Sacco was a protégé of the late SIU President Paul Hall.
He was an executive board member of the Missouri State AFL-CIO and the secretary-treasurer of the Greater St. Louis Area and Vicinity Port Council, an MTD-chartered organization, both of which were based in St. Louis. From 1968 to 1979, Sacco served as vice president of the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship.
The school offers active members the chance to upgrade while preparing men and women for a career aboard commercial ships flying the U.S. flag. It is situated on the grounds of the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Maryland.
