Contact: Jim Pasco of the Fraternal Order of Police,
202-547-8189
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 AP/U.S. Newswire/ -- Steve Young, the late National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, was honored today with induction into the Labor Hall of Fame, a museum inside the Department of Labor which honors posthumously those Americans whose distinctive contributions to the field of labor have enhanced the quality of life for millions. Previous inductees into the Hall of Fame include Samuel Gompers, Cesar Chavez, A. Philip Randolph, John L. Lewis, Walter P. Reuther and Lane Kirkland. Steve Young is the only leader of a police labor organization to be so honored.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao presided over the 15th annual induction ceremony, and described Young as an “true community leader” on law enforcement labor issues. Secretary Chao, who announced that Young would be honored with induction at the F.O.P.'s 56th Biennial National Conference in Providence, Rhode Island, said, “The Labor Hall of Fame is a monument to the honor of those who worked industriously for the benefit of the American worker,” she said. “They have made lasting contributions to the quality of life, not only to American workers but for the world, as well.”
Chuck Canterbury, who succeeded Steve Young as National President and was unanimously elected to that post in August, presented the individual award. “Steve Young was the finest of our nation’s finest and he spent his career fighting for the rank-and-file member,” he said. “In his eleven years as president of the Ohio State lodge, four years as National Vice President and his all-too brief term as National President, Steve woke up each morning and went to work for the citizens of Marion City and the rank-and-file officers in every region of the country. He was as dedicated a man, an officer, and a friend as I have ever known.”
Young was chosen for induction into the Labor Hall of Fame because of his tireless service to his community and country, his commitment to his fellow officers and the civil rights of citizens. He was the first police labor leader to reach out to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division and work cooperatively with them to bring equitable closure to civil rights investigations and ensure that communities received the committed support and service they deserved. As a member of President Bush’s Homeland Security Advisory Council, Young played a vital role in helping America meet its heightened security needs in the post-9/11 world in a manner that respected both the civil rights of citizens and the needs of law enforcement. He was also a strong and effective advocate for the rights of workers being transferred to the new Homeland Security Department, working closely with the Administration and the Congress to ensure that the needs of the nation were met and the rights of its workers were heard.
“Leadership is a difficult quality to define,” Canterbury said, “but you know a leader when you see one. Likewise, friendship is difficult to define, but everyone knows what a friend is. Steve was both, to me and to the more than 310,000 members of this proud organization that he loved so deeply and served so well. I believe that if Steve were with us here today, he would be very humbled, and would probably smile and say that he was just doing his job. But I strongly believe that each one of us who wears the badge and walks a beat will be forever in his debt.”
The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States, with more than 310,000 members.