[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10430]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON COUNCIL AFL-CIO PRESIDENT, JOSLYN 
                            ``JOS'' WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 18, 2014

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to one of labor's 
strongest advocates in our region. Joslyn ``Jos'' Williams has been 
President of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, for 32 
years, serving as an advocate for working men and women throughout 
Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Throughout that time, 
he has made history as the union's first African-American president.
  Mr. Williams will be honored at the Maryland State and District of 
Columbia AFL-CIO annual ``Salute to Leadership'' dinner on June 20, and 
it is an honor that is much deserved and well earned. Having risen 
through the ranks of the union's leadership over the course of his 
career as an organizer and activist, he has applied his knowledge, 
care, and experience each day to making sure that the organization's 
members are not only well represented in discussions with private and 
public sector managers but that they have access to opportunities that 
provide pathways to middle-class success.
  Mr. Williams came to this country as an immigrant while still a 
teenager, arriving from Jamaica with the goal of pursuing his American 
Dream. After working for the Library of Congress and becoming active in 
his local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees, 
Mr. Williams realized that his calling was to make sure that his fellow 
workers could pursue their American Dreams as well. Thanks to his 
leadership, membership in his local chapter grew from 100 to 600 
members over the course of just two years.
  Today, Mr. Williams oversees an organization that is 150,000-workers 
strong and that plays an important role in the life of the National 
Capital Region. He has fought for fair pay, safe working conditions, 
and access to affordable health care and secure retirement savings. His 
work has surely helped--and continues to help--so many workers and 
their families participate in growing our economy and strengthening our 
region's communities.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in congratulating Mr. Williams on 
this well deserved honor, and I thank him for his service to workers in 
Maryland's Fifth District and throughout our region.

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