[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 13, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING RONALD E. POWELL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 13, 2019

  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Ronald E. 
Powell for a lifetime of vigorous and effective advocacy protecting the 
rights of workers in my home state of Illinois, and for working men and 
women across the United States.
   Ron's service in the labor movement began in 1961, when he was hired 
as a Field Representative for the United Retail Workers Union (URW). 
Thanks to his effectiveness as an organizer, he rose quickly through 
the ranks, becoming a Supervisor of Field Staff in 1968, and the Vice 
President and Director of Field Operations in 1973.
   In 1981, the URW, with a membership totaling 6,000 workers, 
affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and formed 
Local 881 of the UFCW. (The name ``Local 881'' was chosen to 
commemorate the date of its affiliation--August of 1981.)
   Ron was elected president of Local 881 in 1983. Under his 
leadership, Local 881 has grown to represent 34,000 workers and is one 
of the largest affiliates in the UFCW family of unions that represent 
over 1.3 million workers across the world. While managing that growth, 
Ron found time to shoulder other responsibilities, including serving as 
Vice President on the International Executive Board of UFCW, Vice 
President of the state of Illinois AFL-CIO, Chairman of the Illinois 
State Investment Board, and as a member of the Illinois Workers' 
Compensation Medical Fee Advisory Board, the Metropolitan Pier and 
Exposition Authority Board, and the board of Blue Cross Blue Shield of 
Illinois.
   Ron's distinguished resume does not tell the full story of his 
service to our community. He has worked tirelessly to advocate for the 
men and women who provide essential but often invisible services in a 
world increasingly indifferent to their rights and needs. Countless 
families are grateful to Ron and the efforts of Local 881 for improved 
wages and safety conditions in industries that include food service and 
preparation, meat packing, groceries, chemical manufacturing and 
retail. I know Ron takes great pride in the part he played in the 
recent enactment of the City of Chicago Paid Sick Leave Ordinance, 
extending paid leave protection for the first time to thousands of 
workers (and UFCW members) who live in our community.
   Both personally and in furtherance of his work for the UFCW, Ron has 
been civically engaged, serving as a Trustee on the Village Board of 
Mundelein, and as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. 
Over the years Ron has supported countless candidates that were 
committed to protecting the rights of working men and women, including 
a young United States Senator named Barack Obama who ultimately served 
two terms as President of the United States.
   Many charities owe thanks to Ron as well. Under his stewardship, the 
Local 881 Charitable Foundation has been a strong supporter of the 
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Ron also organized fundraising efforts 
for Jackson Park Hospital in Chicago and the Little City Foundation, 
which serves developmentally disabled children and adults in the 
Chicagoland area.
   Ron is blessed with four ochildren--one of whom, Steven, currently 
serves as President of Local 881 and an International Vice President of 
the UFCW--and many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He 
is held in esteem by numerous organizers and union officials he has 
mentored over the course of his career, and the thousands of workers 
whose lives have been made better through his efforts.
   Madam Speaker, on behalf of the 34,000 members of Local 881 of the 
UFCW, and the millions of hard-working men and women of the state of 
Illinois who owe so much to Ron Powell, I offer my thanks for nearly 60 
years of dedicated and selfless service to our community. Although Ron 
may have retired from his positions with the UFCW, I know he has not 
retired from his commitment to service, and on behalf of all 
Illinoisans and Americans I wish him great success in his next chapter.

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