[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 13433-13434]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING ALBIN GRUHN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2009

  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise with sadness today to honor Albin 
Gruhn of San Anselmo, California, who passed away March 18 at the age 
of 94. Mr. Gruhn was a respected and beloved labor leader and consumer 
rights activist whose calling was preserving and improving the welfare 
of working people in California. His 36 years as president of the 
California Labor Federation and his role as a founder of the 
Association of California Consumers were at the heart of a remarkable 
career.
  Mr. Gruhn was born in Eureka, California, in 1915. At the age of 19 
he began working for the Hammond Lumber Co. where he joined the Sawmill 
and Loggers Federal Union. A strike shortly afterwards resulted in the 
deaths of three union picketers and deeply affected him, resulting in a 
life-long commitment to the labor movement.
  Blacklisted as a result of his participation in the strike, he soon 
found employment in construction, joining the Laborers Local where his 
membership continued for over 60 years. At the age of 22, he became 
secretary of the Central Labor Council of Humboldt and Del Norte 
Counties and led that council for over 20 years.

[[Page 13434]]

  In 1940 Mr. Gruhn was first elected to what is now the California 
Labor Federation as district vice president and became its president in 
1960. He led with skill, enthusiasm, and passion until his retirement 
in 1996. He helped build the organization into a strong and effective 
advocacy group for the rights of workers, inspiring several generations 
of political and labor leaders along the way.
  During the 1960s, Mr. Gruhn was also a founder of the Association of 
California Consumers, California's first consumer group, and later 
became a founding officer and then president emeritus of the Consumer 
Federation of California. He also devoted some of his considerable 
energies to the California Apprenticeship Council and the California 
Constitution Revision Commission as well as serving on various state 
commissions. These appointments spanned several decades and five 
California governors, covering a variety of issues from fair housing to 
air pollution. One of the commissions dealt with children and youth, 
reflecting his deep involvement in the annual scholarship program 
established by the California Labor Federation.
  Mr. Gruhn supported the causes he believed in by staying politically 
active. From campaigning for Franklin Roosevelt at the age of 17 to 
serving as an Adlai Stevenson delegate in 1956, he stayed engaged in 
the process. In 1944, he founded the Northern California AFL Political 
League.
  Mr. Gruhn was married to the former Dorothy Coon for over 37 years. 
Dorothy predeceased him in 2005, and the couple is survived by a large 
family of eight children, 14 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, Albin Gruhn was proud to fight for working people, and 
all those with whom he came in contact--from family and friends to 
political leaders and co-workers--drew inspiration from his commitment. 
It is fitting in honoring him today to remember the remarks he always 
used to conclude his labor speeches: ``In unity there is strength. 
United we stand, divided we fall. An injury to one is an injury to 
all.''

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