Public Employee Press

Union mourns MELS founder Julius Topol

Julius Topol, the founder and first administrator of DC 37’s innovative Municipal Employees Legal Services, U.S. labor’s first prepaid legal services program, died Sept. 3 in Bryn Mawr, PA

Topol began his distinguished career at DC 37 in 1966 when Executive Director Victor Gotbaum decided to replace outside attorneys with a permanent full-time, in-house legal department and picked Topol as the union’s first general counsel.

Born and raised in Boston, where he graduated from Boston College Law School in 1941, Topol worked with the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union and for 13 years with the National Labor Relations Board before joining DC 37. As a Naval Officer in the Pacific during World War II, he survived the sinking of two destroyers and was awarded 11 battle stars before returning home in 1946.

Topol was considered an expert in utilizing the Taft-Hartley Act to protect union organizing drives in the South, where he later marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil rights in Selma, Ala.

Vision of equality
Topol’s vision of eliminating race and class barriers for working people helped create MELS, beginning in 1974 with apilot program of free legal services. The pilot was successful and led to establishing MELS as an employee benefit in 1977.

“Julie Topol’s life was an inspiration for those of us who worked with him at MELS,” said Joan Beranbaum, MELS director and chief counsel.
“Julie’s contribution to this union and the members was extraordinary,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “The program that he helped set up has been used as a model by labor unions throughout the country.”

Julius Topol, who retired from DC 37 in 1982, is survived by his son, Stephen, daughter, Elissa, son-in-law, Lee Osterman, three granddaughters, and his brothers Cyrus and Sidney Topol.