Tom Clarke is a life-long trade unionist and organizer. His involvement with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (Retail Clerks Union) began in 1973 when he was fired for attempting to organize his store, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He continued to work in retail food stores until he was hired as a staff organizer by UFCW Local 1459 in April 1982.
Tom held various positions with local unions and the International Union throughout the United States until July 2005, when he left the UFCW to become a union organizing consultant, working with teachers, nurses, packinghouse and building trades workers.
In March 2015, he returned to the UFCW to join International President Marc Perrone’s first administration as Director, Region 1-Northeastern. Tom was elected an International Vice President in 2016. In March 2017, he became the UFCW’s National Strategic Retail Campaigns Director.
In October 2018, Tom left the UFCW to return to consulting work as the Principal Consultant for Workers First Strategies. Workers First works with unions to build organizing capacity through innovative grassroots campaigns on a model based on organizing best practices, union member participation and the effective use of social media communications.
Tom has been the architect of multiply innovative organizing campaigns, including those listed, based on the organizing model outlined above.
- Smithfield Justice Campaign. Tar Heel, NC
- Massachusetts Early Childhood Educators’ Union, AFT/NEA
- Best Markets Campaign (UFCW) Long Island, NY
- Trabajadores Agrícolas Unidos – New York
He is currently working with farmworkers, union organizers to build a new model of organizing for farmworkers in New York and Massachusetts.