Art Eckstrom, Jr., a fierce proponent of labor unions who helped thousands of people find work across Pima County, has died. He was 80.
A South Tucson native and Army veteran, Eckstrom began his work in the county as a regional re-employment program manager in 1983, according to a news release Thursday from Pima County.
Two years later, he became the director of all training programs within the county, eventually creating the One Stop Center, which continues to help people find jobs.
Later, that program was replicated by the U.S. Department of Labor, says Eckstrom’s brother Dan, the longtime local political heavyweight who served for several years on the Pima County Board of Supervisors. Dan Eckstrom announced his brother’s death on Facebook over the weekend.
“Art was the strong backbone of our family in that he was loved by all of his siblings as a result of his dedication to making sure he was ‘his sisters and brother’s keeper,’” he wrote. “To all of his nieces and nephews he was known affectionately as ‘Uncle Junior’ as a result of his extreme kindness and generosity.”
Throughout his local career, Art Eckstrom was known for his “fierce belief” in labor unions. He served as president and as a staff member for the United Steelworkers of America’s local group, he wrote about his brother, who died Jan. 12..
“He was the brains behind the successful political careers of his brother Dan Eckstrom and his niece Jennifer Eckstrom. More importantly, he loved his community and he was never afraid to fight to obtain meaningful job opportunities for those disadvantaged and dislocated workers seeking to better themselves,” Dan Eckstrom wrote on Facebook. “He rarely liked being in the spotlight but you would always find him behind the scenes, running everything. Something I like to think I learned from him.”
Under Art Eckstrom’s leadership, the county “created numerous innovative programs connecting those with employment barriers to meaningful work,” according to a news release Thursday from the county. Those include the Sullivan Jackson Employment Center, Las Artes Arts and Education Center and the Kino Veterans Workforce Center.
Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher said in a written statement that Eckstrom “would hate being called a visionary,” despite it being an appropriate title.
“His style was one of quiet leadership, getting out of the way and allowing his staff to implement the programs and initiatives he brilliantly created. If it weren’t for his vision, we wouldn’t have our One-Stop Career system that assists not just displaced workers, but veterans, young people and those experiencing homelessness with finding employment,” Lesher wrote. “I’m extremely grateful for his wisdom and counsel, which he continued to share even after his retirement.”
Eckstrom also helped create the Ending Poverty Now program. Its current director, Bonnie Bazata, said in a written statement that he was a “practical visionary” who saw “20 years down the road.”
“Art’s legacy is that he made life better for thousands of Pima County residents and what he put in place will continue impacting families for years to come,” Bazata wrote. “(Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) said the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice . . . No doubt Art helped to bend that curve. He was an inspiration to many of us and will be so missed.”
