[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 203 (Wednesday, December 2, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7167-S7168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Remembering Larry Willis

  Mr. President, this weekend we lost a great champion for American 
workers--Larry Willis, president of the Transportation Trades 
Department at the AFL-CIO.
  Larry dedicated his life to the labor movement, fighting for workers 
on the frontlines of our transportation system. He worked to empower 
busdrivers and ramp workers, flight attendants and train operators 
around the country so they could fight for better wages and protections 
on the job and they could build a middle-class life for their families
  We know the labor movement is the single biggest reason that we have 
a middle class in this country. We know that the decline of the labor 
union movement is the reason that the middle class is shrinking in this 
country.
  All of what Larry did said a lot about his character--that he took on 
that job and spent his whole career fighting to give power to the 
workers who have so often been denied a voice in this country.
  Everyone who worked with him attests to his skill, his compassion, 
his commitment to justice, and his love of life. One of his greatest 
strengths was his ability to find compromise in even the most 
difficult, thorniest issues in front of us.
  Make no mistake, Larry was always a fierce fighter for transportation 
workers. He never compromised when defending worker safety. He always 
challenged us to make legislation better, but he also understood that 
meaningful change sometimes comes in smaller steps, not in great 
bounds. He was willing to work for months, even years, behind the 
scenes to make real progress for transportation workers. Washington 
needs more advocates like Larry--someone who believes deeply in the 
cause and backs it up with relentless work to find a solution.
  I want to talk about his grace. He was very direct. He didn't hold 
back when Congress did something that was not in the best interests of 
workers, but he never closed the door on anyone, even his adversaries. 
Larry was always willing to pick back up a conversation to find a path 
forward. He did not let egos get in the way of progress--something that 
happens far too often in this town. He never let disputes make him 
jaded. He always kept his head up and his door open.
  My staff and I relied on Larry's guidance and wisdom for many years. 
He knew every angle of our Nation's transportation system. He used that 
knowledge to help millions of transportation workers. He was a 
wonderful person. We loved working with him.
  We are deeply saddened by his passing. We are keeping his wife Amy 
and daughter Samantha--oh, how he loved both of them and lit up when 
talking about them--we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers as 
they cope with this sudden, heartbreaking loss.
  We will honor Larry Willis the best way we can--by continuing to 
fight to

[[Page S7168]]

empower transportation workers around the country and fight with a 
doggedness that would make him proud.