[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 110 (Wednesday, September 15, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1621]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN RECOGNITION OF THE RETIREMENT OF WALTER JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 14, 2004

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to pay tribute to a 
distinguished labor leader, a great San Franciscan, and a dear friend, 
Walter Johnson, upon his retirement. I join with my constituents to 
express our appreciation to Walter Johnson for 50 years of 
extraordinary service to the labor community and to the people of San 
Francisco. We are all fortunate that Walter chose to live in San 
Francisco and bestow upon us his immeasurable talents and 
contributions. He has devoted his life to fighting for equal rights in 
the workplace and social justice for all San Franciscans. He believes 
deeply in the dignity of all people and the freedoms of our democracy.
  Born on April 22, 1924, in Amenia, North Dakota, Walter arrived in 
San Francisco following three years of service in the United States 
Army during World War 11. He joined the Department Store Employees 
Union Local 1100, was elected President in 1958, and in 1964 was 
elected to his local's top position of Executive Officer. Under 
Walter's leadership, the rights of women, people of color, and lesbians 
and gays working in retail were protected and preserved. His expert 
guidance resulted in his subsequent reelection over the next eleven 
years.
  Walter was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Labor 
Council in 1985, and since that time has fought to secure and protect 
individual workers' rights. As a frontline leader, Walter Johnson has 
led the fight for workers' benefits, healthcare reform, workplace 
equality, and union rights. Walter educated, enlightened and mobilized 
union members to correct the unjust and unfair practices that existed 
in the workplace. Walter developed and maintained strong personal ties 
with his numerous co-workers and union members, and has remained their 
loyal friend.
  Walter's friendships extend far beyond the labor community to the 
homeless man on the street, the man in the corner store, and 
innumerable others throughout the Bay Area and beyond. His friends have 
been blessed with his generous nature, his wry sense of humor, and his 
penchant for story telling. He is rarely without a personal anecdote or 
a footnote from history, which he often recalls in perfect iambic 
pentameter and rhyme. His boundless energy and enthusiasm is 
contagious.
  Walter has given so much of himself to the labor movement and to the 
people of San Francisco, that we must thank his wife Jane and his 
children Eric, Lawrence and Mary, for sharing him with us. We honor him 
today for his courage, his leadership, and his wonderful friendship.

                          ____________________