[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10966]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING EARLIE MAYS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2008

  Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Earlie Mays, 
who is retiring from his position as International Representative of 
the United Auto Workers, Region 5, after 31 years of exemplary service. 
Earlie has been based in Fremont, California, through much of his 
career in the labor movement. I have been privileged over the years to 
work with him on issues of importance to working men and women.
  Upon his graduation from high school in 1963, Earlie enrolled in 
Laney Junior College in Oakland, California, and soon thereafter he was 
hired at Oakland's General Motors Plant (GM). He always had a great 
love for the Auto Workers' Union and was fiercely dedicated to workers' 
rights. He also had a great thirst for knowledge with a goal of 
promoting the welfare of others. In 1970, Earlie took a leave of 
absence from GM and attended the UC Berkeley Institute of Industrial 
Relations, where he earned a certificate in Labor Studies. Immediately 
upon receiving his certificate, he was recruited by the American 
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees' National Union to 
organize and service its Northern California local unions. During this 
period, Earlie honed his skills as a negotiator, grievance handler, 
organizer, and negotiator of collective bargaining agreements.
  Earlie returned to GM, which relocated to Fremont, California, and 
worked himself up through the ranks of labor. He was elected to various 
positions, including Alternate Committeeman, Executive Board Member at 
Large, and Chairperson of the Civil Rights Committee. He continued his 
educational endeavors attending United Auto Worker Summer Schools and 
the Walter and May Reuther Educational Center in Black Lake, Michigan. 
He frequently conducted classes for rank and file members in various 
subjects.
  In 1973, Earlie was elected Chairman of the Bargaining Committee of 
the General Motors Plant in Fremont. In doing so he became the youngest 
person, as well as the first African-American, to hold that office. His 
adept bargaining skills earned respect for the UAW.
  Earlie served for sixteen years as a Commissioner on the California 
Prison Board as an appointee of California Governors Jerry Brown and 
George Deukmejian. He has served as President of the Western Region A. 
Philip Randolph Institute, as Director of the UAW Regional Civil Rights 
Program, and as a member of the NAACP and the American Red Cross.
  I join the community in thanking Earlie Mays for his exemplary career 
in labor and his dedication to community service.

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