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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING RONALD E. POWELL
______
HON. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Ronald E.
Powell for a lifetime of vigorous and effective advocacy protecting the
rights of workers in my home state of Illinois, and for working men and
women across the United States.
Ron's service in the labor movement began in 1961, when he was hired
as a Field Representative for the United Retail Workers Union (URW).
Thanks to his effectiveness as an organizer, he rose quickly through
the ranks, becoming a Supervisor of Field Staff in 1968, and the Vice
President and Director of Field Operations in 1973.
In 1981, the URW, with a membership totaling 6,000 workers,
affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and formed
Local 881 of the UFCW. (The name ``Local 881'' was chosen to
commemorate the date of its affiliation--August of 1981.)
Ron was elected president of Local 881 in 1983. Under his
leadership, Local 881 has grown to represent 34,000 workers and is one
of the largest affiliates in the UFCW family of unions that represent
over 1.3 million workers across the world. While managing that growth,
Ron found time to shoulder other responsibilities, including serving as
Vice President on the International Executive Board of UFCW, Vice
President of the state of Illinois AFL-CIO, Chairman of the Illinois
State Investment Board, and as a member of the Illinois Workers'
Compensation Medical Fee Advisory Board, the Metropolitan Pier and
Exposition Authority Board, and the board of Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Illinois.
Ron's distinguished resume does not tell the full story of his
service to our community. He has worked tirelessly to advocate for the
men and women who provide essential but often invisible services in a
world increasingly indifferent to their rights and needs. Countless
families are grateful to Ron and the efforts of Local 881 for improved
wages and safety conditions in industries that include food service and
preparation, meat packing, groceries, chemical manufacturing and
retail. I know Ron takes great pride in the part he played in the
recent enactment of the City of Chicago Paid Sick Leave Ordinance,
extending paid leave protection for the first time to thousands of
workers (and UFCW members) who live in our community.
Both personally and in furtherance of his work for the UFCW, Ron has
been civically engaged, serving as a Trustee on the Village Board of
Mundelein, and as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
Over the years Ron has supported countless candidates that were
committed to protecting the rights of working men and women, including
a young United States Senator named Barack Obama who ultimately served
two terms as President of the United States.
Many charities owe thanks to Ron as well. Under his stewardship, the
Local 881 Charitable Foundation has been a strong supporter of the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Ron also organized fundraising efforts
for Jackson Park Hospital in Chicago and the Little City Foundation,
which serves developmentally disabled children and adults in the
Chicagoland area.
Ron is blessed with four ochildren--one of whom, Steven, currently
serves as President of Local 881 and an International Vice President of
the UFCW--and many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He
is held in esteem by numerous organizers and union officials he has
mentored over the course of his career, and the thousands of workers
whose lives have been made better through his efforts.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of the 34,000 members of Local 881 of the
UFCW, and the millions of hard-working men and women of the state of
Illinois who owe so much to Ron Powell, I offer my thanks for nearly 60
years of dedicated and selfless service to our community. Although Ron
may have retired from his positions with the UFCW, I know he has not
retired from his commitment to service, and on behalf of all
Illinoisans and Americans I wish him great success in his next chapter.
____________________
