[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24118]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         HONORING CHARLES WHITE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2001

  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Charles White 
a longtime United Automobile Workers activist. Charles will be honored 
by the UAW Region 1C Retirees Legislative Committee on December 7, 2001 
in my hometown of Flint.
  Born in 1916, Charlie grew up in Missouri. During the 1920s he lived 
with an uncle who worked at Fisher Body in St. Louis. He moved to Flint 
and was hired in 1935 by General Motors to work at the Fisher Body 1 
Plant. When General Motors attempted to remove the dies from the plant 
on December 30, 1936 the workers at Fisher Body Plant 1 joined the 
workers at Fisher Body Plant 2 to begin the historic sit-down strike. 
Charlie became a Flint Sit-Down Striker at that time.
  Over the next weeks, Charlie worked tirelessly at the strike 
headquarters. He made banners, signs and drew editorial cartoons. When 
John L. Lewis came to Flint to work with the fledgling United 
Automobile Workers and help negotiate the settlement with General 
Motors, Charlie served as his bodyguard.
  Continuing a tradition that had started during the strike, Charlie 
drew editorial cartoons for the union papers during the next forty 
years. Joining with his fellow UAW members, Charlie has fought for 
safety laws and improved conditions in the factories. He served as a 
union president and eventually retired in 1966 from UAW Local 581. In 
1971 he became the Chairperson of the Local 581 Retiree Chapter and has 
continued in that capacity until the present time. He has been 
supported in his work by his wife, Barbara, and his three daughters.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
congratulating Charles White as he is honored by the retiree chapters 
in UAW Region 1C. His contributions have brought more humane working 
conditions in the our factories and a better life to workers 
everywhere.

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