HR0165 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0165 LRB104 12568 ECR 23081 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) General President Frank J. Christensen on his decades of service to the labor community; and

WHEREAS, Frank J. Christensen, a proud Chicagoan, joined the IUEC as a member of Local 2 in Chicago upon his high school graduation in 1979; and

WHEREAS, After working for 15 years on job sites in and around Chicago, Frank J. Christensen sought elected office within Local 2; and

WHEREAS, Frank J. Christensen was elected to serve as an executive board member and vice president concurrently from 1994 to 1998; he also served as secretary of the executive board, acting business representative, a Joint Apprenticeship Committee Board member, and Local 2 president before being appointed business manager in 2001; and

WHEREAS, Frank J. Christensen was ultimately elected business manager in a special election in 2001, and he was re-elected three more times, making him the longest serving business manager in Local 2's history, a record that still stands today; and

WHEREAS, Prior to becoming general president of the IUEC, Frank J. Christensen held numerous leadership roles within the IUEC and throughout Chicago's labor community, including serving as IUEC vice president, a trustee and an instructor to the IUEC's educational program, chairman of the Illinois Elevator Safety Review Board, a director to multiple labor councils, and a member of the Chicago and Cook County Building Trades Labor Leaders Council, to name just a few; and

WHEREAS, Frank J. Christensen became general president of IUEC upon unanimous election by the IUEC's General Executive Board on September 11, 2012; and

WHEREAS, Frank J. Christensen was appointed vice president of the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO in December 2012; and

WHEREAS, For his service to organized labor and his community, his passion for honoring our military, and his pursuit of social justice, Frank J. Christensen has received numerous awards and recognitions from a variety of organizations, including the U.S. Marine Corps, Shriner's Hospital, the Special Olympics, and the Boy Scouts of America, as well as being named Chicago and Cook County Labor Man of the Year; and

WHEREAS, Among his community service, one of Frank J. Christensen's most passionate pursuits is supporting Chicago's own Toy Box Connection; and

WHEREAS, Frank J. Christensen's greatest source of pride, without a doubt, is his family, his wife, Lynn, who was his high school sweetheart, his four children, and his large extended family; family is truly everything to him; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) General President Frank J. Christensen for his years of service to the building and construction trades of the United States of America and to the Chicago labor community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm every word of these congratulations reflects the decisive support that Frank J. Christensen received, at every step along his way, from his work mates in the Chicago labor community and especially from his family; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Frank J. Christensen and his wife, Lynn Christensen, as a symbol of our esteem and respect.