[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 86 (Thursday, June 17, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1322-E1323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         IN HONOR OF TOM PARKER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS M. BARRETT

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 17, 1999

  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity 
to share with my colleagues my appreciation and regard for Tom Parker. 
On Friday, June 18th, Tom's friends, family and admirers will gather in 
Milwaukee to celebrate his career and wish him well as he retires as 
President of the Milwaukee County Labor Council AFL-CIO.
  Tom Parker is proud to be a machinist by trade. When he began his 
career at the Milwaukee-based heavy equipment manufacturing firm Allis 
Chalmers, he also joined the Machinists International Union. After 
leaving Allis Chalmers, Tom traveled around a bit, repairing printing 
presses and generators, and in 1962, he took a job at Miller Brewing 
and joined Machinist Lodge 66. He took an active interest in the 
union's advocacy efforts and worked himself into a leadership role. In 
1973, Tom left the brewery to accept a full-time position as the 
local's Secretary-Treasurer.
  In 1978, Milwaukee's labor community was shocked by the sudden death 
of Labor Council President Leo Winninger. Area union leaders urged Tom 
Parker to run, and he was elected

[[Page E1323]]

to the first of what would become 10 consecutive terms as President of 
the Milwaukee County Labor Council.
  Throughout his service as Labor Council President, Tom Parker has 
been a vigorous advocate for Milwaukee area workers and their families 
and a gifted spokesman for organized labor. He has helped the Labor 
Council to work better, communicate more productively with the 
community and within its own membership, and respond more quickly and 
effectively to individual challenges and broader economic and policy 
changes.
  Tom's public service is not limited strictly to the responsibilities 
of organized labor. He currently serves as a member of the Greater 
Milwaukee Committee, one of the area's leading civic organizations, as 
well as on the Aurora Health Care Board of Directors and the City of 
Milwaukee's Ethics Committee. Tom has also served on the boards of 
directors of some of Milwaukee's most active and enduring institutions, 
including the International Institute, the Villa Terrace Art Museum, 
Community Care of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Council on Alcoholism and 
Drug Dependence, and the American Red Cross.
  Mr. Speaker, I have always respected Tom Parker's keen understanding 
of the impact the issues and policies at hand have on the people they 
affect. He has always remembered that a contract negotiation or a 
legislative decision is not an abstract, but a very tangible act with 
very real consequences for workers and their families. He has 
approached all of his public activities in this same spirit, and I am 
proud to count myself among the many who have benefitted from his 
example.
  As Tom's family, friends, union brothers and sisters, and admirers 
prepare to celebrate his career, I am honored to offer my 
congratulations on a job well done, my thanks for a lifetime of 
service, and my very best wishes to Tom Parker.

                          ____________________