[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13452]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE SERVICE OF JAMES ANDREWS

  (Ms. ADAMS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor James Andrews, 
president of the North Carolina AFL-CIO. After four decades of service, 
James will be retiring on September 15.
  He has been a leader since a young age, and while serving our country 
in Vietnam, he earned a Purple Heart for his brave service.
  Upon his return, James organized fellow workers at a plant in 
Henderson, North Carolina, before joining the AFL-CIO in 1974 as a 
director of Frontlash, an AFL-CIO youth group. Just a year later, the 
AFL-CIO recognized James' dedication to the fight for fair working 
conditions and promoted him to outreach director for the North Carolina 
federation, making him the first African American to hold a paid, full-
time staff position with the State AFL-CIO federation.
  After a brief stint working for his union in 1982, he began his 
position as the treasurer and secretary for North Carolina's AFL-CIO. A 
little over a decade later, James was elected as president and became 
the first African American to lead a State federation.
  As his service draws to a close, we want to both congratulate and 
honor him for his unparalleled work on behalf of North Carolina's 
hardworking families.
  James, congratulations, and thank you for your hard work.

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