[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 96 (Tuesday, July 16, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1268-E1269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO WALTER L. JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 16, 2002

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to an 
extraordinary man and a dear friend of mine, Mr. Walter L. Johnson, a 
member of the San Francisco Labor Council, who is to be honored by the 
San Mateo Labor Council at its annual banquet on July 18th, 2002.
  Mr. Speaker, Walter Johnson was raised in North Dakota, and like many 
men of his generation he gallantly served our country during World War 
II. After his discharge in 1946, like many wise men of that day, he 
moved to San Francisco, where he obtained a job as an appliance 
salesperson with Sears Roebuck, and immediately joined the Department 
Store Employees' Union Local 1100.
  From his earliest working days, Walter showed a deep commitment to 
racial equality, which is best highlighted by the key role he played in 
1958, when he was instrumental in helping the first African American 
woman work behind the counter at Woolworth's. That same year, he was 
elected President of Local 1100. By 1964, he was elected to a senior 
leadership position: Secretary Treasurer of the Department Store 
Employees Union. He was re-elected a remarkable eleven times. In 1965 
he became Executive Officer of the Union.
  In the spring of 1985, Walter Johnson was elected Secretary Treasurer 
of the San Francisco Labor Council, a position he has held since that 
time. Under his guidance, the Council continues to work for the 
laudable goal of providing employment, advantageous wages and benefits 
for its members. Serving over 100 Unions and over 75,000 workers in San 
Francisco, Walter Johnson is the voice of labor in the Bay area.
  Mr. Speaker, Walter Johnson and his lovely wife Jane are residents of 
South San Francisco, which is in my congressional district. They are 
the proud parents of three children and five grandchildren. Aside from 
working closely with many union leaders, he also interacts with 
community groups, elected officials, and religious leaders to promote 
issues that enhance the quality of life for working people. 
Strengthening his position as an advocate for working men and women, he 
serves on various boards and committees, including the United Way of 
the Bay Area, the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee and Our 
Redeemers Lutheran Church.
  Walter is the recipient of numerous awards, which are far too many to 
enumerate, but I will mention a few key ones. He has provided valuable 
direction as President of the James F. Housewright--United Food and 
Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), Scholarship Fund, and he 
is a member of the UFCW Advisory Board, the International's Foreign 
Affairs Committee, and its National Department Store Committee.
  Moreover, Walter has been a member of the board of directors of the 
San Francisco Private Industry Council, Arriba Juntos, the Bay Pacific 
Health Plan, the Council for Civic Unity, KQED-TV, the Organized 
Training Center, the Board of the San Francisco Bay Area Girl Scout 
Council, the Center for Ethics and Social Policy, the Shelter Network, 
the Death

[[Page E1269]]

Penalty Focus Board, the Advisory Board of Nature Conservancy, the 
Western Opera Theatre, and the San Francisco Organizing Project. Walter 
has distinguished himself as founder and President of San Francisco 
Renaissance. In addition, he has been an active member of the Advisory 
Board of the Labor Archives and Research Center and the President's 
Advisory Board of San Francisco State University. In 1988, Mr. Johnson 
was chosen to receive the Bay Area Union Labor Party's ``1988 
Leadership Award'' as an appreciation of his exemplary record of 
achievements.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in commending Walter 
L. Johnson for his dedication to our nation's working men and women, 
his exemplarily record of civic achievement, and his determination to 
better the condition of working people. Walter's service has shown us 
the meaning of courage, courtesy, compassion and commitment.

                          ____________________