[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 377-378]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM R. ROBERTSON

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am deeply saddened to inform you 
of the passing of Bill Robertson, former secretary treasurer for the 
Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. I would like to take a 
few moments to recognize Bill Robertson's many important 
accomplishments and the tremendous impact he made on the labor 
movement.
  Born in St. Paul, MN, Bill Robertson was a man with humble 
beginnings. He lost both his parents when he was a child and lived in 
an orphanage for a brief period. Growing up in difficult circumstances 
in the middle of the Great Depression shaped Bill's social and personal 
beliefs. He intimately understood the struggle that working men and 
women faced to achieve dignity in the United States.
  Bill led the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor for nearly two 
decades. During his tenure, he fought for the rights of working people 
with passion and great success. In 1975, Bill Robertson became 
secretary-treasurer for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, 
AFL-CIO. Under his leadership, The Los Angeles County Federation of 
Labor saw phenomenal growth. He coordinated many successful labor 
rights victories and spent a great deal of time building the labor 
movement and fighting for fairness and equality. In addition to his 
efforts to further the labor movement, Bill Robertson took steps to 
assist the city of Los Angeles' homeless population. In the winter of 
1985, the city of Los Angeles had authorized a temporary tent shelter 
to be erected for the city's homeless population. Bill Robertson found 
this solution to be inadequate and successfully

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persuaded then Mayor Tom Bradley to authorize construction of a 
temporary structure to house the 138-bed shelter. Bill Robertson 
rallied volunteer laborers and secured union funds to buy the 
construction materials.
  Bill also played a major role in bringing prominence and recognition 
to the city of Los Angeles. In addition to assisting city officials 
with securing the rights to host the 1984 Olympic Games, Bill also 
played a pivotal role in establishing a home for a professional 
football team in Los Angeles. It was through his role as chief 
negotiator in the $6.7-million deal in 1980 that brought the Raiders 
football team from Oakland to the Los Angeles Coliseum. Bill Robertson 
considered this achievement as one of the proudest of his career.
  I invite all of my colleagues to join me and the many members of the 
labor community in recognizing and honoring Bill Robertson for his 
guidance and lifelong effort in fighting to improve the lives of 
working people. He is survived by his wife, Dresden Graham Robertson; 
his two sons, William and Robert; three grandchildren; and four great-
grandchildren.

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