[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 80 (Wednesday, May 8, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DONALD ``D.'' TAYLOR

 Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate 
Donald ``D.'' Taylor for a lifetime of commitment to the labor movement 
and the empowerment of workers across the Nation.
  In March, Taylor stepped down as president of the UNITE HERE labor 
union, after dedicating four decades to mobilizing support and 
relentlessly advocating for working families.
  Born in Williamsburg, VA, D. Taylor started his journey in the food 
services industry at just 14, working at a Kentucky Fried Chicken, 
before eventually waiting tables part time while he attended Georgetown 
University. It was there that Taylor joined the Hotel Employees and 
Restaurant Employees Union--HERE--the start of what would become an 
extraordinary career fighting for dignity of workers.
  Not long after graduation, Taylor began work in the Reno-Tahoe area 
of Nevada for the Culinary Workers' Union, before eventually arriving 
in Las Vegas to help organize during a strike against the hotel-casino 
industry at a time when the union's membership had fallen to 18,000.
  Taylor quickly rose the ranks of leadership, serving as staff 
director and chief lieutenant to the head of the Culinary, before 
eventually being elected secretary-treasurer himself in 2002. By the 
time he was elected president of the international parent union UNITE 
HERE 10 years later, the local Culinary had tripled in size, becoming 
an essential resource for hospitality workers in the region, and a 
powerhouse in Nevada politics.
  Under his tenure as president of UNITE HERE from 2012 to 2024, over 
140,500 workers have joined the union, making UNITE HERE the fastest 
growing private sector affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
  On a personal note, as the proud son of a UNITE HERE Local 11 
retiree, looking back, I now know why families like mine could see a 
doctor when we were sick or could take time off of work each year for 
vacation--or could even afford to buy a home. It is because of a good 
union contract. And it is because of the leadership of people like D. 
Taylor.
  For decades, he has fought to improve the quality of working 
standards for service employees across the country, defending that most 
basic belief that no matter who you are or where you come from, ``One 
Job Should Be Enough.''
  While we know his work advocating for working people doesn't end 
today, we honor D. Taylor for his tireless dedication and the 
transformative impact he has had on the lives of hundreds of thousands 
of workers.

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