Longtime IAM Representative and labor activist John Capobianco, Sr., passed away at home on April 22. He was the retired Directing Business Representative (DBR) of District 170 (formerly District 64) and a lifetime member who initiated into the IAM in 1951.
Capobianco was elected as a Business Representative in 1967, where he served until becoming the District 64 DBR in 1983. After his retirement, he was appointed to the Rhode Island State Labor Relations Board by Gov. Lincoln Almond, and served in this capacity until his passing. Capobianco was also a member of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO Executive Committee and Executive Board, founded the state’s chapter of the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) and was the chapter’s first President.
“John Capobianco was a true unionist,” said Eastern Territory GVP Lynn D. Tucker, Jr. “The IAM and fighting for working men and women was a part of his everyday life. He fought tirelessly for many years to make life a little better for all of us. The labor movement has lost a true warrior.”