Ladislaus "Laddie" Michalowski (1913-2006) was a leader in the labor movement and progressive politics in Connecticut and in New Britain, Connecticut. A native of New Britain and 1933 graduate of New Britain High School, Michalowski worked at American Hardware Corporation where he helped organize the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers (UE-CIO) alongside former State Representative and UE organizer Nick Tomasetti. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II and returned to work at Fenn Manufacturing Company until he retired in 1977. In 1965, he was a marcher for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Through the years Laddie contributed his time and organizing skills to grassroots organizations including Citizens for Action in New Britain, the Citizen-Energy Labor Coalition and the Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG). He served the Legislative Electoral Action Program (LEAP), an organization that promoted citizen participation and supported progressive Democratic candidates. At a CCAG dinner honoring him several years before his passing, Michalowski received a Distinguished Service Award from the Democratic Town Committee for his support of Democrats and progressive causes. He was a member of the NAACP, the New Britain Human Rights Commission and the Hartford area American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), working in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and 1970s.
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