[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INDUCTION OF THOMAS JAMES KATONA INTO THE UPPER PENINSULA LABOR HALL OF 
                                  FAME

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a leader who 
truly left his mark on the labor movement in the Upper Peninsula of 
Michigan as well as throughout the United States. Thomas James Katona 
has increased union effectiveness by partnering the historic strengths 
of labor unions with the innovation of technology. Mr. Katona's 
induction into the Upper Peninsula Labor Hall of Fame is warranted and 
deserved.
  As a dedicated Staff Representative for the Office and Professional 
Employees International Union (O.P.E.I.U.), Local Union 512 of the AFL-
CIO and a proud member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), 
Mr. Katona was a committed organizer of working people in the public 
and private sectors. He has devoted himself to their cause of fair and 
just representation in the work place.
  Mr. Katona has been on the forefront of worker education by designing 
and delivering labor education classes for employees and staff. Always 
advocating for his membership, Mr. Katona was constantly arguing before 
the National Labor Relations Board, the Michigan Employment Relations 
Commission and Administrative Law Judges. He served his larger 
community as a volunteer mediator for the Delta County Resolution 
Services, UPCAP and was an active member and participant in the 
Association Conflict Resolution.
  Mr. Katona has been described by his union brothers and sisters as a 
great leader showing persistence and assertiveness as an advocate and 
problem solver for hIs union and fellow workers. Mr. Katona was a 
trusted labor and community leader.
  However, while Mr. Katona will always be remembered by his colleagues 
and friends for many accomplishments, he has left his mark through his 
tireless commitment to the development and propagation of ``cyber 
unionism'' as a means of strengthening and improving communications 
within the labor movement. As a published author on the subject, Mr. 
Katona blazed the trail for technological improvements including 
helping trade unionists design, post and maintain Web pages, Web sites 
and e-mail magazines.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in 
thanking Mr. Thomas James Katona and his family for his dedication and 
service to the labor movement and to the Office and Professional 
Employees International Union, Local Union 512, AFL-CIO. Mr. Katona has 
more than earned his place in Michigan's Upper Peninsula Labor Hall of 
Fame for his commitment to his community and the labor movement.

                          ____________________