October 21, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 166 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1315]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING GREG M. CONGER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. J. LUIS CORREA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 21, 2019

  Mr. CORREA. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the achievements of 
Greg M. Conger and congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement. 
Mr. Conger has been a voice for working Californians by organizing and 
advocating for workers' rights. He has changed the relationship between 
employees and management forever. Greg M. Conger served as the 
President of UFCW Local 324, with 23,000 members in Orange County and 
the Long Beach area in Southern California.
  Mr. Conger started as a meat cutting apprentice with Local 551 in 
1976. This is where he started volunteering for various union 
committees and campaigns. In 1984, he was hired as a Union 
Representative. His efforts did not go unnoticed and one year later he 
was promoted to Executive Assistant to the President and worked on 
contract negotiations.
  Mr. Conger was a senior strategist and top-level negotiator during 
the Southern California supermarket strike and lockouts that ran 
between October 2003 and February 2004. Over the course of the dispute, 
Mr. Conger worked to boost the morale of his members and even 
volunteered to be arrested twice in acts of civil disobedience. His 
leadership and commitment to the working community attracted the 
attention of the UFCW International Union, which elected him as an 
International Vice President in April 2004.
  In September 2003, Mr. Conger became President of Local 324. After 
just five weeks in his new role, he led Local 324 during the 141-day 
strike and lock-out--the longest and costliest retail strike in 
American history. Mr. Conger and UFCW Local 324 changed the 
relationship between employees and management forever by empowering 
workers to stand up for themselves in the face of intense pressure. He 
was at the forefront of the dynamic movement that sought to build 
successes of recent years.
  Today, we celebrate not only his advocacy and success, but his 
future. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Greg M. Conger for 
his commitment to serving the community by being the greater voice for 
our workers.

                          ____________________