[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 57 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO MR. ROBERT (BOB) SIMPSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2016

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to 
Mr. Robert Simpson, an outstanding labor leader who is being honored by 
the Chicago Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists for a 
life time of dedicated service and commitment to labor union 
development and progressive causes. Bob's career began in the City of 
Chicago as a Montgomery Ward Catalog House employee in 1952. In 1953, 
he began actively organizing employees at Montgomery Ward, served as 
Union Steward and became a member of the negotiating committee. His 
union organizing activities were interrupted by two years of service in 
the U.S. Army Signal Corp. and he was sent to Germany.
  In 1962, Bob was elected as Trustee of Local 743 and assigned as an 
organizer; in 1966 he became Director of Organizing for Local 743 and 
in 1972 he became Recording Secretary for Local 743. In 1972, Bob was 
elected President of the Chicago Chapter of the CBTU and Corresponding 
Secretary and Executive Council of the International Coalition of Black 
Trade Unionists, a title which he currently holds. In 1983, Bob was Co-
Chairman of organized labor's support for Harold Washington for Mayor 
of Chicago, in 1984, he was elected Vice President of Local 743, in 
1985 arrested in Washington, D.C., demonstrating against Apartheid in 
South Africa, in 1988 elected President of Teamster Local 743, the 
largest local in the International Teamsters representing 23,000 
members.
  In 1990 Bob became an International Brotherhood of Teamsters Trustee, 
in 1994 co-leader of the U.S. Labor Leaders Delegation to observe the 
first historic South African Election Affiliates. He was a National 
Board Member of Operation Push, Board Member of the Teamsters Black 
Caucus, Little City Foundation, NAACP, A. Philip Randolph Institute and 
Coalition of Union Women.
  Bob Simpson has never missed a beat; he has served on the transition 
teams of Secretary of State Jim Ryan and Attorney General Roland 
Burris, and he was a close confidante of Congressman Charles Hayes and 
Mayor Harold Washington and introduced President Barack Obama to the 
National CBTU when he was a State Senator. Since 1952 Bob has been 
actively involved and engaged in any labor issue, injustice issue or 
wherever people needed help. He distributes food to needy families, has 
testified before various legislative and other public bodies, has 
picketed and been involved with other protest efforts such as Black 
Friday, Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter. Mr. Robert (Bob) 
Simpson has been on the Wall for Justice since 1952 and will not come 
down until his time on this earth is up. What a dedication, what a 
commitment, what a man and what a life.

                          ____________________