Frank Hurt took office as president of BCTGM (Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers) International Union in 1992, and he has been elected and reelected at the union’s constitutional conventions again and again since that time.
Frank Hurt landed his first union job in 1956 with the United Auto Workers. He held the job for 14 years and served his union as a shop steward. He has also been a member of the Teamsters and the IBEW.
In 1972, he got a job at a Kroger Bakery in Columbus, Ohio, where he signed his card as a member of B&C Local 57. Three years later, he became the local union's business agent. He joined the international union staff in 1979.
In 1982, International President John DeConcini recognized Hurt’s leadership skills and appointed him director of organizing, a position he held until 1990, when he became the union’s executive vice president.
Almost exactly 20 years ago, as president of BCTGM, Hurt joined the AFL-CIO Executive Council. He also served for five years starting in 1997 as president of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF), based in Geneva, Switzerland. The IUF represents 27 million workers in 111 countries.
Hurt comes from Marfrance, W.V. We thank him for his service and congratulate him on his retirement. We wish him years of happiness with his wife, his three sons and his grandchildren.