[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 21, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNITION OF THE RETIREMENT OF FRANK GARRISON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 21, 1999

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor a good friend of mine, 
Michigan State AFL-CIO President Frank Garrison upon his retirement. 
Frank Garrison has been standing up for working men and women for over 
40 years--beginning with his membership in Saginaw Steering Gear Plant 
UAW Local 699, and ending as the Michigan State AFL-CIO's second 
longest serving president. Every day during that forty years, the 
working families in Michigan have had a champion in Frank Garrison. The 
legislative and political battles Frank has fought in Lansing have had 
a direct impact on the standard of living for the working people in our 
state.
  Upon returning from two years in the U.S. Army in 1955, he 
immediately became active in his local. He held posts ranging from 
alternate committeeman to financial secretary before being appointed in 
1972 as the UAW international representative assigned to the Education 
Department and the Michigan CAP program. In January 1976, he joined the 
UAW-CAP legislative office as a lobbyist. Less than a year later, he 
became the Legislative Director for the UAW in Lansing.
  In 1982, Frank was appointed Executive Director of the Michigan UAW-
CAP for four years, until being elected president of the AFL-CIO on 
December 12, 1986. Since his election Frank has been active in the 
Democratic Party as a member of the Democratic National Committee 
Executive Board, and President Clinton's National Commission for 
Employment Policy. He has served on several Governor's Councils and, in 
1993, received an honorary Doctorate of Law degree from Michigan State 
University. Frank sits on more boards and councils than the 
Congressional Record has room to list.
  Frank Garrison has dedicated his life to the betterment of the 
working men and women of the state of Michigan. I don't know anyone who 
has earned the right to a little time off and a few more Michigan State 
University football games as much as Frank Garrison. We all know, 
however, that Frank's passion for politics and his dedication to 
working families will not let retirement take him from the causes he 
believes in and has fought for all his life.
  Please join me in honoring the career of one of Michigan's working 
heroes as Frank Garrison completes his final term as Michigan State 
AFL-CIO President. Frank, we wish you all the best.

                          ____________________