Bud Raftery

Sylvester Frank "Bud" Raftery (November 30, 1918 – November 20, 1986) was an American labor union leader.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Raftery was the son of Lawrence M. Raftery. He became a sign painter at the age of 16, and joined the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America (BPDPA), in which his father was also active.[1]

Raftery served with the Seebees in the Pacific during World War II. In the early 1950s, his father became president of the BPDPA, and he appointed Bud as its full-time director of jurisdiction. In 1964, he succeeded his father as union president.[1]

As leader of the union, Raftery moved its headquarters to Washington D.C. He also created a national pension fund for painters, and set up a health and safety department in the union. He also served as a vice-president of the AFL-CIO. However, his leadership of the union was unpopular with rank-and-file members in many larger cities.[1][2]

Raftery retired in 1984 due to poor health. He died two years later.[1][2]