[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 66 (Thursday, May 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E932-E933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN KELLY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 1998

  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the career of one 
of the longest serving National Officers of the American Postal Workers 
Union (APWU), AFL-CIO, John Kelly, who has announced his retirement 
after a most distinguished career representing Union members.
  John Kelly was a native of the Philadelphia, PA area, but came to the 
Denver area when he was four years old. He was a graduate of North High 
School and began his career with the United States Post Office on 
September 30, 1962, eight years before Congress created the U.S. Postal 
Service.
  John's sterling union career began as a steward, later as secretary, 
and finally, as President of the Denver local. In 1971, five postal 
unions merged to form the APWU, and John became a full-time union 
officer. As the National Vice President for APWU, John served on the 
National Executive Board, the highest governing body of the Union. 
Today, he is the senior business agent for the APWU, an organization 
which has grown to include business agents nationwide.
  During his tenure with APWU, John was well-known not only for his 
skills at arbitration but for his ability to help the members 
understand the very technical language of their contract with the 
Postal Service. His expertise

[[Page E933]]

was so thorough that the APWU used his services in national contract 
negotiations and numerous other special projects that affected the 
union. He has promoted union advocacy and educated colleagues on how to 
interpret the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the National Labor 
Relations Act.
  For 28 years John has represented the APWU in the Denver Region, 
which includes the states of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and 
Wyoming. John was one of the principal architects of the five-state 
Denver Regional Assembly, an entity that flourishes today. He is so 
highly respected that no one has run against him in the National 
Election in more than 20 years.
  Again, I take this opportunity to thank John Kelly for his years of 
service to the APWU and want to wish him and his family the best in 
retirement.

                          ____________________