Los Angeles, CA
The Executive Council of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations mourns the death of our friend and brother, Vice President Emeritus J.C. Turner after a lifetime of his devoted service to the goals of the labor movement and the well-being of working people around the world.
The son of an ironworker, he joined Local 77 of the International Union of Operating Engineers at 18. Through his hard work and dedication as an organizer and business manager, he rose through the ranks of his local union and he was called to serve his national union as a vice president, director of legislation and as general secretary-treasurer. He was elected IUOE general president in 1975 and was subsequently elected to this Council, which benefited from his experience, judgment and good counsel for ten years.
Throughout his career, Brother Turner was an advocate of the important contribution that the state federations and local central labor councils make to the labor movement as the voice of working families in the daily life and democratic processes of their communities. With the same diligence that he brought to his work in his union, Brother Turner served as an officer of the Maryland/DC AFL-CIO, and, for 16 years, as the president of the Metropolitan Washington DC Labor Council, becoming one of that city's best known and most respected civic leaders.
Anywhere that worker's interests could be served, Brother Turner brought his energy and talents to bear. From his service as a delegate to the International Labor Organization, to serving as a member of the D.C. City Council, from the National Urban League's board of trustees to the board of governors of United Way, J.C. Turner was a strong and outspoken fighter for social and economic justice, equality and dignity in the workplace and in the community.
We join with the men and women of the International Union of Operating engineers in remembering and celebrating the life and achievements of Brother J.C. Turner with deepest respect and gratitude, and we order that this memorial be spread upon the permanent records of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.