Disgraced Union Leader Pat Tornillo Dies

Pat L. Tornillo Jr., the once-influential and reform-minded former president of the United Teachers of Dade who went to prison for swindling millions of dollars from the union, died June 24 at his home in Tallahassee, Fla.

Mr. Tornillo, 81, was suffering from lung and heart disease, prostate cancer, and diabetes, and had been in hospice care.

During the 40 years that he led the UTD, Mr. Tornillo came to be known as one of the nation’s most progressive teachers’ union leaders and was nicknamed the grandfather of the “new unionism” movement. Under him, the UTD was one of the founding members of the Teacher Union Reform Network , or TURN, a national group of local teacher leaders. Among other issues he championed, he led his local union in partnering with the Miami-Dade County school district for more school choice and lobbied the state...