[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 147 (Wednesday, October 16, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN TRIBUTE TO JOHN W. OLSEN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2013

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to pay tribute to a friend, 
a leader, and a living legend in Connecticut politics and the labor 
movement, John W. Olsen. After 25 years at the helm of the Connecticut 
AFL-CIO, John retired as President on September 25. John leaves a deep 
and enduring mark on the State of Connecticut after a quarter century 
of extraordinary leadership and dedication.
  A plumber by trade, John joined the Plumbers and Pipefitters union 44 
years ago. He served as President of the United Association of 
Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters, Local 133, and a former 
Secretary-Treasurer of the Connecticut State Building and Construction 
Trades Council.
  In 1988, at the age of 38, John was elected President of the 
Connecticut AFL-CIO, representing 220,000 union members across the 
state. His 25 years as President of the AFL-CIO represents the longest 
tenure in the federation's history.
  John provided the leading public voice for organized labor for 25 
years. He also presided over--and kept united--a diverse union umbrella 
in Connecticut. During an era where friction grew nationally between 
industrial and service unions and ruptured decades-old alliances, 
John's assiduous and fair leadership kept Connecticut's unions unified 
and strong and maintained labor's collective potency to advocate on 
behalf of working families in our state.
  In the political arena, John has been a force on the national, state, 
and local level for four decades. He pulled an upset to win a contest 
to become Chairman of the State Democratic Party from 2000 to 2002. He 
served as a member of the Democratic State Central Committee from 1982 
to 1995, as Co-Chair of the State Central Platform Committee, and on 
the Democratic National Committee since 1996. Even in the Town of 
Clinton in my Congressional District, John served one term as Chair and 
one as Treasurer and on his hometown Democratic Town Committee.
  I will always be grateful for John's support and counsel for my three 
campaigns as a challenger, in unsuccessful efforts for Lieutenant 
Governor and the U.S. House in 1998 and 2002, respectively, and for my 
successful effort for the House in 2006. John loved an underdog, and 
there was never a more fierce or loyal ally to have at your side for a 
political fight.
  John's remarkable legacy at the center of Connecticut's political and 
policy debate for a quarter of century is a story of keen instincts, 
dogged determination, and ardent honesty. John's fidelity was never to 
his ego or personal standing but always to the cause and a positive 
outcome. His service will be missed, but I have no doubts that he will 
be as active in his ``retirement'' as he was during his sterling 
career.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, my colleagues in the 
Connecticut delegation, John's wife Janeen, three children, Amy, 
Elizabeth and Christopher, and grandson, Hunter, to honor a true 
Connecticut patriot, John Olsen.

                          ____________________