McNamara, James

A native of New York City, James McNamara grew up in a working-class family. His father worked for the MTA as a motorman and was a member of the Transport Workers Union. Young McNamara attended Cooperstown Academy, in Cooperstown, New York, but was expelled from the Academy after organizing a student protest. McNamara worked at Yankee Stadium where he operated the turnstile to admit people into the stadium. He organized the vendors at the ball park into Local 153 of the Office, Professional Employees International Union, whereupon he was “promoted” and promptly fired. He graduated from James Monroe High School in the Bronx and then attended Brooklyn College and the City College of New York. His first position in the labor movement was as an unpaid organizer for Local 155 of the ILGWU. He subsequently went to work for the hatters union. His first experience as a $50 per week organizer led to his once again being fired while trying to organize a shop in Hoboken, New Jersey. Moving across the river, he took up new duties for the hatters union in New York City.

He later served in a variety of capacities for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, including International Representative, Director of Research and Education, Director of Organization; Manager of Local 102, Novelty Hat Workers Union; Administrator of the Local 3 Health Benefit Fund; and Trustee of the Local 80 Health Benefit and Retirement Funds. His responsibilities included organizing and servicing new locals in sixteen states and Puerto Rico, negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, and the drafting and implementation of contracts. In 1966 McNamara left union work to begin his second career as a civil servant.

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