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Joseph T. Rauscher Sr., 76, of Roxborough, a longtime Philadelphia labor leader

Mr. Rauscher fought hard to prevent the sale of Whitman's Chocolates to Russell Stover Candies of Kansas City, Mo. He feared the loss of 600 jobs here. As things turned out, he was right.

Joseph T. Rauscher Sr.
Joseph T. Rauscher Sr.Read moreCourtesy of the Rauscher Family (custom credit)

Joseph T. Rauscher Sr., 76, of Roxborough, a longtime Philadelphia labor leader, died Wednesday, July 10, at his home of complications from an earlier stroke.

Mr. Rauscher was born in Philadelphia to Joseph and Margaret Rauscher. A lifelong Roxborough resident, he attended Murrell Dobbins Technical High School, St. Joseph’s University, and the George Meany Center for Labor Studies.

He served two years in the Air Force before beginning his career in 1962 with the Bakery, Confectionery, and Tobacco Workers Union, Local 6. He joined the union when he was hired as a shipper for Michel’s Bakery, at that time in East Falls. It is now in Northeast Philadelphia.

He was elected shop steward in 1964, recording secretary in 1969, and full-time business agent in 1974. He became vice president of the local in 1980 and president in 1983.

Under his leadership, Local 6 grew to more than 7,000 members, the result of mergers with other unions.

Mr. Rauscher was credited with creating a full-time organizing position and appointing the first female business agent of the local. He established the Local 6 Members Assistance Program, which helped the rank and file with substance abuse problems. The program became a model for other locals throughout Pennsylvania, his family said.

During the 1980s, Mr. Rauscher served on the international executive board of the Bakery, Confectionery, and Tobacco Workers Union.

In 1992, Mr. Rauscher’s career path changed when he was elected president of the Philadelphia Council, AFL-CIO, an umbrella organization of 100 bargaining units. He replaced Ed Toohey.

“When Toohey left, Joe was asked to come on board because he appeared to be a centrist,” said Patrick J. Eiding, the council’s current president. “He was looked upon, because of the business he came from, as someone who would have the opportunity to bring the different folds together, and he was very good at doing that.”

In 1993, he spoke out against a plan by the Pet Co., owner of Whitman’s Chocolates, to sell out to the larger Russell Stover Candies of Kansas City, Mo. Stover planned to discontinue operations at the Whitman plants in and outside of Philadelphia, which would have meant the loss of 600 jobs.

Pet officials contended that no other offers were received for Whitman’s, but Mr. Rauscher disagreed.

“Bulls—!” he was quoted as saying in a May 14, 1993, Inquirer article. He pointed to an offer by Pittsburgh Food & Beverage to acquire Whitman’s for $20 million.

Stover offered $35 million for Whitman’s, saying it would make the chocolates at its plant in Missouri. That meant eliminating employees, some of whom had worked at Whitman’s for 50 years, Mr. Rauscher said.

He estimated that only 25 percent of the displaced workers would be able to find equivalent jobs. The rest were out of luck and could lose their homes, he said.

“The city gets excited about a Walmart opening in the old Sears building,” he told the Daily News in June 1993. “But those are jobs for high school kids and college students — not people who are supporting families and maintaining homes.”

Despite an antitrust suit filed in federal court by Local 6 and Pennsylvania Attorney General Ernie Preate Jr., the sale of Whitman’s to Stover went through in May 1993, and all the workers were laid off. The Whitman’s manufacturing facilities were shuttered.

Mr. Rauscher retired and turned the reins of the labor council over to Eiding in January 2002.

A civic volunteer, Mr. Rauscher served as cochair of the Philadelphia Area Labor-Management Committee, a commissioner of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, and a board of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.

Mr. Rauscher also served on the advisory committee for Community College of Philadelphia and coached youth sports with the 21st Ward Baseball Association.

He is survived by Karen Drew Rauscher, his wife of 56 years; children Joseph Jr., Kristen Artillio, Jennifer Gibbons, and Kelly Hanna; and eight grandchildren.

Funeral services were Monday, July 15.

Memorial donations may be made to Ronald McDonald House, 3925 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104.