Burke, Eddie (Edward), 1949-

Eddie Burke was born on November 21, 1949 in Cabin Creek, West Virginia. In 1967 he left school and spent a year traveling across the US with friends. His father and elder brother were both members of the United Mineworkers Union. In November 1968, two months after his father's death, Burke began working at the Carbon Fuel Co., where he became active in the United Mineworkers Union as well as the Miners for Democracy. Burke married in 1969, and he and his wife Patty had two children, Hillary and Bradley. Burke has been instrumental in organizing many strike efforts, most notably the nine-month Pittston strike of 1989, and he is considered to be a skilled political strategist, coordinating the election campaigns of Arnold Miller, Richard Trumka and Ron Carey. Since his involvement with Carey campaign, Burke has worked with the Teamsters Union, the state employees in West Virginia, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Atlanta, Georgia.