[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 46 (Thursday, March 14, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1895-S1896]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO RICK BLOCKER

 Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, today I wish to honor a lifelong 
champion of the American labor movement, Mr. Rick Blocker, president of 
the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO, on the occasion of his retirement. As a 
member of the

[[Page S1896]]

U.S. Senate, it is both my privilege and honor to recognize Mr. Blocker 
for his lifetime of service and contributions that have strengthened 
our community and State.
  Rick Blocker has been a tireless advocate for his brothers and 
sisters in labor throughout his career. From 1987 to 2013, he served as 
the secretary-treasurer and executive assistant to the president of the 
United Food and Commercial Workers, UFCW, Local Union 876 in Madison 
Heights, MI. In this role, he was responsible for managing the finances 
and expenditures of the over 19,000 members of Local 876. Rick also 
served as a trustee for the Michigan UFCW Unions and Employers Health 
and Welfare Fund where he maintained membership services, helped 
develop community programs, and assisted in contract negotiations.
  Since 2013, Rick has served as president of the Metro-Detroit AFL-
CIO. The Metro Detroit AFL-CIO is comprised of approximately 120 
affiliated labor organizations that represent nearly 70,000 members. In 
this capacity, Rick serves as the lead voice of these affiliates and 
members to the public and the State AFL-CIO, representing the interests 
of working people throughout the region. Through his work, Rick 
continually advocates for economic and social justice and the 
betterment of workers lives, not just in metro Detroit, but across the 
State of Michigan.
  Rick has spent his career and life in support of his community, 
organized labor, civil rights, and faith. Throughout his life, he has 
been involved with many organizations, including the Trade Union 
Leadership Council, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the 
Coalition of Labor Women, is a founding member of the Change to Win 
Federation, a life member of the NAACP, and a trustee and executive 
director of New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. Rick also serves on 
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's Mayor's Workforce Development Board, with 
the mission to strive toward successful delivery of workforce programs 
across the city of Detroit.
  Rick has spent his career in service to others, his community, and 
his brother and sisters in labor. I ask my colleagues to join me today 
in honoring my friend, Mr. Rick Blocker, for his leadership in 
furthering the causes of the organized labor movement and for his many 
other contributions to the metro Detroit region. I wish Rick and his 
family health and happiness in the years ahead.

                          ____________________