Blum, Carl

Carl Blum was born in Brooklyn and joined Local 1511 of the International Brotherhood of Painters in 1945. He got a job as a woodfinisher at Bergen Cabinet. He was first appointed by the members to participate in contract negotiations in 1950, and he soon became a spokesman for the hardwood finishers in Brooklyn and Queens.

In 1962, Blum attended a protest meeting where painters from the various locals aired their grievances. At this meeting he met Frank Schonfeld, a leader of the opposition movement in the District Council of Painters, and they made common cause. As the leader of the Hardwood Finishers Club, one of many rank-and-file groups organizing within the Painters' union, Blum participated in the various efforts to oust the union's leadership.

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