Chicago, Ill.
In honor of William E. Pollard, former Director of the AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department, the Executive Council’s Civil and Human Rights Committee calls upon the AFL-CIO to recognize his many years of dedication to the labor movement.
Mr. Pollard had a distinguished career in the labor movement at both the local and national levels. In March 1964, he joined the staff of the AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department and became its Director in March 1974, a position he held until his retirement in 1986.
He served as General Chairman of the Dining Car Employees Union, Local 456 in Oakland and Local 582 in Los Angeles. He also was elected President of the Joint Council of Dining Car Employees for 14 consecutive one-year terms. Mr. Pollard was a Vice President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and also worked as an organizer for the Los Angeles Joint Executive Board of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union.
He was unrelenting in advocating for social justice and economic empowerment for working men and women.
The AFL-CIO will hold a memorial service for William E. Pollard on September 25, 2003 at the AFL-CIO Headquarters.