[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 10 (Thursday, January 18, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO HENRY LEROY CLARKE

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                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 18, 2007

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, with a heavy heart, I 
rise to pay tribute to the life of former General Manager and founder 
of the Public Employees Union, Local No. 1, Henry LeRoy Clarke who died 
on January 4, 2007. For more than 38 years, Henry Clarke dedicated his 
life to improving working conditions for thousands of public employees 
in the Contra Costa County community. As General Manager, Mr. Clarke 
was a strong advocate on behalf of union members, transforming the 
political landscape from one that was highly adverse to organized labor 
to one that promotes mutual respect between administration and 
employees.
  Henry Clark was born on March 10, 1923, in Denver, Colorado, to a 
family of seven children. During the depression, Henry moved with his 
family to Chico, California, to prosper in farming. He graduated from 
Chico High as Student Body President, and soon after entered WWII to 
serve in General George Patton's army in Europe. After the war, Henry 
returned to Chico, where he was named All Western Conference Tackle 
while playing for Chico State. He transferred to the University of 
California, Berkeley in 1948 to play football under legendary coach 
Lynn ``Pappy'' Waldorf and study labor, economics, and politics. 
Although Henry was only a young student, he helped organize the food 
service workers at Cal into one of the first unions in the U.C. system.
  Upon graduating with honors from the University of California, Henry 
became a history teacher in the Napa public schools where he met his 
lovely wife Maureen. He only taught for 2 years before the school 
district fired him for none other than trying to form a teachers' 
union. From that moment on, Henry dedicated himself to the causes of 
organizing labor. He became the first full-time executive secretary of 
the California Federation of Teachers, and soon after the western 
representative of the American Federation of Teachers. In this 
position, Henry helped direct the largest collective bargaining 
election of teachers in the United States during the New York City 
teacher strikes of 1961 and 1962.
  In 1962, Henry took on the job of General Manager for the Contra 
Costa County Employees Association, a title he would hold for the next 
38 years. In 1968, he founded the independent Public Employees Union, 
Local No. 1, which many county employees joined in order to avoid a 
passive international union. Henry formed the union based upon fierce 
democratic principles, providing each member access and a voice in the 
governance of the union. Under Henry's visionary leadership, Local No. 
1 grew from 632 members into a model for controlled unions everywhere 
achieving a current membership of over 15,000, which includes public 
employees from Northern California's counties, cities, school 
districts, and special districts. Henry represented these employees 
with vigor until his retirement in 2000.
  Henry Clarke spent over four decades standing up for the rights of 
workers in Contra Costa County. He was a true public servant who 
understood the process of social justice.
  To Henry's son and daughter-in-law, Cameron and Ellen Clark, and his 
grandson, Henry Wallace, I extend my heartfelt condolences. Your loss 
is shared not only by those who knew Henry personally but also by all 
those who have been touched by the work he has done. We will be forever 
grateful for the integrity, passion and determination with which he 
sought to make our country's work environment fair and safe for all.

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