Peter Angelos remembered as ‘firm but fair’ | READER COMMENTARY

Coverage of the passing of Peter Angelos notes he represented labor unions in his law practice (“Peter Angelos, son of immigrants, remembered as a Greek Baltimorean ‘success story,'” March 25). One of the labor organizations he represented was the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, 1897–1979, a labor union which represented retail and packinghouse workers employed by local supermarkets.

The president of the local union was a tough guy named Jerry Menapace. I was a lawyer and represented a number of those local supermarkets in their negotiations with the Meatcutters and at contract time negotiated with Menapace and the union’s lawyer, Peter Angelos, who, contrary to his reputation as a hard nose labor negotiator, always entered the negotiations with the goal to find a way to successfully negotiate a contract.

One day, a reporter for The Baltimore Sun who was referred to me by Menapace called me for comments about Angelos. I told the reporter he was firm but fair and always looked for the key to settlement. The next day the Sun published an article quoting my comments about Angelos and later that day he called me and asked me to represent the Orioles in the upcoming labor negotiations with Major League Baseball.

Thanks to the Orioles owner, I represented the club in the negotiations that led to the agreement that finally led to a settlement and an end to the strike. That was Peter Angelos who I soon learned was respected by the other owners and it was the beginning of a close relationship between him and MLB.

— Edward Joseph Gutman, Baltimore

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