Title
To Recognize and Congratulate Harold Mitchell for Receiving the John T. Greene, II Labor Award upon the Occasion of the 30th Annual Labor Salute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Body
WHEREAS, Harold Mitchell served nearly fifty years a labor activist and over thirty years fighting for workers’ rights with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Ohio Council 8; and
WHEREAS, after starting his career in 1979 with AFSCME Local 100, City of Cleveland Employees, he was elected Steward, proudly representing pipe repair employees at Harvard Yard, the Water Department’s largest water distribution maintenance facility; and
WHEREAS, in 1985 Harold Mitchell was elected for the first of what would become a seven term tenure as President of the local, and largest of more than 20 unions representing city employees, and as president took on an aggressive internal organization drive, raising membership to over 1,000 members and bringing Local 100 members more that $1 million dollars fought for in arbitration awards and grievance settlements; and
WHEREAS, Harold Mitchell has demonstrated leadership, perseverance and instilled hope in laborers across Ohio through his successful record of policy changes and negotiations with elected leaders and interested parties; and
WHEREAS, Harold Mitchell embodies the mission of Coalition of Black Trade Unionists to bear in the unending effort to achieve economic, political and social justice for every American; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby recognize and congratulate Harold Mitchell, the 2017 John T. Greene, II Labor Award recipient, on this 14th day of January 2017.