[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25369]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 IN HONOR OF JOHN ``JJ'' JOHNSON, RECIPIENT OF THE NEW JERSEY AFL-CIO 
                            LABOR AWARD 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                            of north jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 27, 2000

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John ``JJ'' Johnson, 
recipient of the New Jersey AFL-CIO Labor Award for the year 2000. The 
AFL-CIO Labor Award is given to extremely dedicated individuals, who 
have made enduring contributions to the labor movement.
  John Johnson became active in the labor movement in 1960, when he 
organized the Peter Pan factory in East Newark, New Jersey. In 1975, 
Mr. Johnson co-founded Local 617 of the Service Employees International 
Union (SEIU), which elected him executive vice president, a position he 
held for 23 years.
  Today, Local 617 represents approximately 3,500 employees, making it 
the largest public employees local of the Service Employees 
International Union in the State of New Jersey. Mr. Johnson's hard work 
and dedication have been a major factor in the growth and success of 
Local 617.
  In 1996, Mr. Johnson was elected to the Executive Board of the 
Services Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC, becoming the 
Union's first African American official to serve in that capacity. The 
Service Employees Union is the third largest union in the AFL-CIO, with 
a membership of 1.3 million.
  In addition, Mr. Johnson serves as a board member of the Public 
Sector Division and the Political Committee of SEIU; was elected 
president of the SEIU New Jersey State Council; was appointed to the 
board of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, CLC; and was elected president 
of Local 617.
  Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring John ``JJ'' Johnson 
for his enduring contributions to the labor movement.

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