[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12378]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING WALTER JOHNSON

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to take this 
opportunity to direct the Senate's attention to the life and 
achievements of Walter Johnson. Walter is the Secretary-Treasurer of 
the San Francisco Labor Council, a position he has held since 1985. He 
is a man of great compassion and determination. He is also, I am proud 
to say, a trusted friend and confidante.
  On July 18, 2002, Walter is being honored by the San Mateo Central 
Labor Council for his lifetime of service. He certainly deserves it. He 
has been a leader in the Bay Area labor movement since the 1950s. He 
got his start with the Department Store Employees Union Local 1100 
while working as a salesperson at Sears. Once in the union, it did not 
take him long to work his way up to be president and eventually 
secretary-treasurer, the top post.
  Over the years, Walter has never wavered in his commitment to 
advancing the interests of working men and women and the larger 
community. He truly believes in social justice and equal rights. As the 
head of an organization comprised of 125 unions and 175,000 workers, he 
lives his beliefs every day.
  When it comes to the lives and livelihoods of those he represents, he 
never lets elected officials forget that we work for the people, not 
the other way around. While this may make him an occasional irritant, 
it also makes him a constant inspiration.
  Walter Johnson is the very embodiment of the labor movement in San 
Francisco and the Bay Area. If it seems like he has been there for 
years, it is because he has. Over the course of a half century, he 
always put the people first. It is high time he sat still long enough 
to let those he has helped return the favor.

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