Bob Lathrop

Business Representative

I’ve had the great opportunity to work for social and economic justice in many different locations and with several organizations during the last thirty years. The labor movement is without a doubt America’s single most effective organization for making positive change for the largest number of people in our country. I’m a Michigan native and a product of our public schools. I grew up in Rockford, north of Grand Rapids. I went to college at Western (WMU) in Kalamazoo. Since then, I’ve been a VISTA volunteer in Olympia, WA, working to organize day care providers and parents for better policies and I was a local union activist and officer with the Paperworkers Union in northern Minnesota at an auto parts plant. I went to grad school at MSU and was active in PIRGIM, a student research and advocacy organization. I spent several years as a community organizer with a statewide coalition organization in Pennsylvania (Erie and Philadelphia) working to regulate plant closings, scale back high natural gas prices and implement tax reform, among other issues. We worked to bring labor, retirees, churches and community organizations together to work on common issues, with considerable success.  

I’ve worked in several different roles over the past twenty years in the labor movement. I was the Political and Legislative director for several years for another Michigan Union, and then was the assistant to a Local Union President for a statewide local of 17,000 members here in Michigan. I then served as the Executive Director of a 5,500 member public sector local in Southern California. I moved back to Michigan in 2003, and worked for 1 year on a campaign to organize 3,500 state employees. During 2004, I was fortunate to serve as the Political Director for the national AFL-CIO’s Michigan campaign for President. Beginning in January of 2005, I’ve had the good fortune to work with IUOE Local 547. Business Manager, Phil Schloop, is one of Michigan’s key statewide labor leaders and he has surrounded himself with an activist staff and a cadre of educated and active stewards that makes Local 547 very effective at their worksites and beyond. I look forward to working with stewards, staff, members and officers to build Local 547 into a larger and even more effective Union in the years ahead.  

When not at work I am always eager to be at home with my soul mate and wife, Carol Linteau. We’ve been married for 18 years. Carol is the Legislative Liaison for one of the state departments in Lansing and is a very active scuba diver. I am active in avoiding chores around the house, I read some, follow sports, politics, listen to music, and enjoy extending my youth by going to concerts. We travel when we can.

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