Ed Asner, actor, labor leader and longtime friend of the ILWU

Ed Asner, who entertained millions for over 50 years in TV, film, and Broadway plays, passed away last month. Asner became a household name in the 1970’s for his portrayal of the character Lou Grant on the comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He continued to play the character in the late 70’s and early 80’s on the spin-off series, Lou Grant. Younger generations may recall Asner from his voicing of the character Carl Fredricksen in the 2009 animated movie, Up.

Before starting his carrier in acting, Asner drove a taxi and worked in the steel mills in Gary, Indiana, as well as on an automobile assembly line. He was an Army veteran and served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1951 to 1953. Asner was also a longtime activist, trade union leader, democratic socialist and self-proclaimed “Old Lefty.”

In the 1970s, Asner lent his voice and fame to help form the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization that has seen a resurgence in recent years following Bernie Sanders’ 2016 run for President. Asked in a 2010 interview with the Progressive magazine what he thought about socialism, Asner said, “I think we need more of it.”

In 1981, Asner was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild. The previous year, movie actors had staged a 94-day strike to demand a fair share of earnings from the new emerging video and cable markets and Asner emerged as rank-and-file leader who wanted SAG to push harder for the membership. As a labor leader, Asner defended not only the interests of his own members but he embodied a spirit of labor solidarity, internationalism and social justice.

As SAG president, Asner called on movie stars to unite with the lower-paid, working actors by pushing for a merger with the smaller and less powerful Screen Extras Guild. Asner also spent time on the picket lines supporting the struggles of other unions including the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. Asner also spoke out against U.S. military aid to violent, repressive regime in El Salvador and the Contras in Nicaragua. In the early 1980’s he raised money for medical aid to the rebels fighting the US-backed regime in El Salvador, which ultimately led to the cancellation of his show Lou Grant.

Asner was a longtime friend of former ILWU International President Jimmy Herman and Asner’s commitment to working-class values of internationalism, solidarity, and rank-and-file democracy made him a long-time ally of the ILWU.

The February 1990 issue of the Dispatcher includes a photo of Asner marching next to Jimmy Herman in San Francisco’s Mission District protesting Cala Foods’ refusal to remove Salvadoran coffee beans from their shelves. Asner was also a guest at the ILWU’s 1991 International Convention. He was unable to speak during the General Session because of a filming commitment but he later spoke at the convention’s banquet.