On December, 15, 2014, Anthony “Marc” Perrone was elected International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. His election, following a decade of service as the UFCW’s Secretary-Treasurer, is the capstone of a lifelong career in the service of working people. Now at the helm of the country’s most dynamic labor union, Marc’s bold leadership is revitalizing the UFCW’s promise: workers can improve their workplaces, communities, and living standards by sticking together in a union and engaging in activism.
At the heart of Marc’s philosophy is his fundamental belief that rank-and-file members are the true leaders in the fight for economic justice; and that worker voices must inspire and fuel the work of our union – from building enough power to confront giant corporations at the bargaining table, to organizing new members into our movement for justice, to influencing the elected officials and public policies that affect our ability to live and work with dignity.
Marc brings more than four decades of experience and union activism to his position. He joined the Retail Clerks – which later became the UFCW – in 1971 while working as a clerk at Weingarten’s food store in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He learned firsthand the power of collective action and was inspired to step forward as a union representative. Marc honed his union organizing skills on campaigns across the country bringing workers together for a voice on the job in retail stores, meat packing plants, nursing homes and many other UFCW-represented industries.
Marc has served in many leadership capacities within the UFCW. He was elected to the UFCW International Union Executive Committee in February 2000 and elected Secretary-Treasurer in 2004.
In his capacity as Secretary-Treasurer, Marc took seriously the knowledge that as our union’s financial strength grows, so does our strength at the bargaining table. Under his guidance, the UFCW streamlined finances to transition to a union with a renewed focus on organizing and enabled the UFCW’s collective bargaining and political programs to transform the lives of working people. He was also responsible for the stewardship of the pension funds that will enable UFCW members to live out their retirement years in security and with dignity.
Marc paid his way through college while working in a grocery store and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies. Over the course of his career, he sought additional educational opportunities and continued his education in economics, capital markets, and public policy.