[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 103 (Friday, June 20, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING DOUGLAS A. FRASER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio-

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 20, 2008

  Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker. I rise today to recognize Douglas A. 
Fraser of Southfield, Michigan.
  Douglas A. Fraser departed from this life Saturday, February 23, 2008 
at a fulfilling 91 years old. Douglas will forever be remembered for 
his dedication to labor rights, as he constantly sought after fairness 
and justice in employment practices. Douglas led the United Auto 
Workers (UAW), though a period of transition in the 1970s and 1980s. As 
the chief of the United Auto Workers, he played an instrumental role in 
saving the former Chrysler Corporation from bankruptcy.
  Mr. Fraser commenced his career with the auto industry by taking a 
job at a DeSoto plant owned by Chrysler that had been organized by the 
UAW. He rose rapidly in the ranks of the union, eventually being 
elected of Local 227, in 1944, at the age of 27. After three terms as 
president, in 1947 he was hired as a member of the union's 
international staff. In 1951, Mr. Fraser joined then UAW President 
Walter Reuther's staff. Because of skills at negotiation, he quickly 
became known for his shrewd bargaining ability.
  Respected for being both an artful politician and an impassioned 
activist, Mr. Fraser was one of the first labor leaders to take on many 
of the thorny issues facing the auto industry today, from global 
competition to soaring health costs.
  Without Mr. Fraser's aggressive lobbying on Capitol Hill and among 
UAW rank and file, Chrysler would not have been able to secure $1.5 
billion in federal loan guarantees in 1979, which saved the automaker 
from bankruptcy, according to labor historians and top UAW officials. 
Also, in the 1979, as president of the UAW, Mr. Fraser and his team 
achieved other breakthroughs: Incremental increases in pension benefits 
for current and future retirees, a substantial increase in reduced work 
time, improvements in the cost-of-living allowance formula, and 
Chrysler agreement to union representation on its board of directors.
  In 1980, Mr. Fraser became the first American union official to sit 
on the board of a large corporation. He even donated his board salary 
to Wayne State University in Detroit.
  Current UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, who has led the union through 
a period of labor challenges in the face of the financial downturn of 
the automotive ``Big Three'', said he often turned to Mr. Fraser for 
guidance and support.
  Once Mr. Fraser retired as UAW president in 1983, he became a 
professor of labor studies at Wayne State and launched another career 
that spanned 25 years. In that capacity, he served as a guest faculty 
member at other campuses, including the University of Michigan, Harvard 
University and Columbia Business School, where he was labor leader in 
residence for 3 years.
  It is with the deepest appreciation that I pay tribute to the long 
life of a hard-working, just and passionate man, Douglas Fraser. He 
lived his years in service to his family, friends and fellow United 
Auto Workers. May this ardent labor leader be showered with blessings 
into eternity and receive a loving peace.

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