Chris Townsend will trace the life and work of legendary U.S. labor leader William Z. Foster. He will note several high points in his long career, such as Foster's work to organize the unorganized, to lead the first mass organizing drive in the steel industry, and ultimately his work to assemble many of the forces that founded the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

Townsend will touch on several of the organizing principles that were made popular by Foster and that remain good solid advice for union organizers today.

Chris Townsend is retired from staff positions in the United Electrical Workers Union (UE) and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) after a 40-year career. He has been working to popularize the life
and writings of U.S. labor leader William Z. Foster since 2018. He has spoken to more than 1,000 trade unionists in dozens of unions, and was able to restore Foster's collected works, "American Trade Unionism" to print.  

Available at: https://www.intpubnyc.com/browse/american-trade-unionism/  

Earlier this year a biography of Foster's life was restored to print, also available at: https://www.intpubnyc.com/browse/working-class-giant/

Townsend lives in Alexandria, Virginia.