Leamon WIlson, Pres. AFSCME Local 312, at right, with other bus mechanics at City Council hearing a few years ago. For a long time, Leamon was also President of the Presidents’ Council of the 17 AFSCME Citry of Detroit Locals. Leamon was 55 when he died yesterday.
From Diane Bukowski, editor of VOD, and for 20 years a union leader with AFSCME Local 457: It is with a heavy heart that I publish this notice. I was just informed yesterday that Leamon Wilson, President of AFSCME Local 312, representing bus mechanics, and for many years President of the AFSCME City of Detroit Presidents Council, passed yesterday at the age of 55.
Leamon (;l) protests with others at the Mayor’s State of the City address in 2004.
Leamon was a beloved and militant leader, who at one point was fired by the Kilpatrick administration for his leadership of his local. We picketed with other AFSCME workers at DDOT headquarters to get him back.
Leamon was fearless, and loved his members and the City of Detroit. He fought for us tooth and nail, and was not afraid to be associated with “lefties” like myself and others. His heart was with the union, the workers, the people, and no doubt the toll the struggle took on him through all these years may have contributed to his death.
Leamon at WWTP protest.
Leamon was at every protest, he fought hard at the negotiating table for his members. He supported me absolutely when I was on trial for doing my job as a journalist for the Michigan Citizen, charged and convicted falsely of two felonies for taking photos of the aftermath of a fatal state trooper chase on Detroit’s east side in 2008. Not only did he come to my trial as a witness, he let my defense committee use his local union HQ for a rally.
LEAMON WILL BE SORELY MISSED. LONG LIVE LEAMON WILSON AND HIS SPIRIT! DOWN WITH THE FASCIST FORCES DESTROYING OUR CITY!
GOING HOME SERVICES:
Visitation
Sunday, April 14, 2013; 3 – 8 p.m.
O.H. PYE Funeral Home
17600 Plymouth Rd. near Southfield and Jeffries Freeways Detroit, MI
FUNERAL MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2013
Family hour 9:30 A.M.
Funeral 10 A.M.
KADESH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
20361 Plymouth Rd. Detroit, MI 48228
REPAST AFTER SERVICE: AFSCME Council 25 Hall 600 W. Lafayette @ Third Downtown Detroit, MI 48226
VOD: The following essay by Leamon’s son Leamon E. Wilson won him the AFSCME Family Scholarship; it is published on the AFSCME Co. 25 website. Leamon E. Wilson will start college this year
WHAT AFSCME HAS MEANT TO OUR FAMILY
By Leamon E. Wilson
On July 19, 1995 I was born into the AFSCME Family. My father had recently been elected as President of AFSCME Local 312, the Local representing mechanics employed by the Detroit Department of Transportation. Dad had worked his way up through the ranks, serving as a steward, chief steward and grievance committeeman before accepting the nomination to run for President of the Local. Three years earlier he had met my mother, a union representative, when she successfully argued that the employment of one of the local’s members should be restored, primarily because of the employer’s misconduct. According to family legend, when the grievant received his job back and full compensation for the time he was out of work, Dad fell in love and the grievant – “Uncle Hank” – was best man at the wedding and later named as my godfather!
AFSCME workers in Labor Day Parade wearing green NO EM shirts Sept. 5, 2011.
This brief, albeit comical, history is important because all of my life I have been surrounded by the love and support of people who believe that caring for and service to others is a privilege given to each of us. I participated in my first Labor Day parade when I was just over one year old. My father pushed my stroller – shaped like a car – during the parade. Although I had taken a few steps two days after my first birthday, I really began walking after the parade, mimicking the marchers I had watched that morning. My mother swears that I marched around the living room for hours. I don’t remember this, but I do know that it was not my last march.
AFSCME and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists protest at CAYMC May 27, 2010
As the son of a union activist I have had the opportunity to participate in protests over collective bargaining agreements, violation of contract terms and job losses. As young as I can remember I have accompanied my father to grievance meetings, community meetings and union meetings. As a very young child I was usually handed to one of the female members who would care for me and protect me as my father argued (i.e. yelled) to get his point across. As I grew older, the task for ensuring my safety was turned over to “one of the guys,” which generally meant that I could have my fill of anything in the vending machines while my father argued (i.e. yelled) to get his point across.
During all of these years I have also had the privilege of meeting political, civic and religious leaders throughout the community, a unique opportunity not generally available to the average student. I’ve seen first hand the compassion and commitment demonstrated by members as they fought for the right to make a decent wage or to prevent non-union vendors from taking away their jobs altoegther. I’ve seen the stress and devastation families experience when layoffs or job eliminations force them to lose what most of us would think are basic life necessities – a home, food, transportation and the ability to support their children.
Detroit AFSCME workers in green shirts flooded April 13, 2011 Lansing rally against PA 4.
Throughout it all my parents have consistently reinforced the value of these experiences – the importance of standing in the gap for the disenfranchised; for being the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves; and for ensuring that the rights of all peoples are never diminished or eliminated. The obligation to serve and give back is as engrained in me as my name. The AFSCME Family Scholarship will help me reach my goals and continue a long standing tradition of being a gatekeeper for those in need. While I may or may not end up in a unionized profession, these experiences have taught me how to be a better person, to be compassionate, and, as my father would say, to always be caught doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
Thank you for the opportunity to walk proudly in the path he forged.
VIDEO BELOW SHOWS PRES. LEAMON WILSON SPEAKING AT CITY COUNCIL HEARING, FIGHTING FOR HIS MEMBERS, BUS RIDERS
Recent VOD stories featuring AFSCME Local 312 President Leamon Wilson:
http://voiceofdetroit.net/2012/08/27/d-dot-deputy-dumped-will-feds-charge-nojay-bing-brown/
http://voiceofdetroit.net/2012/02/09/bing-to-slash-bus-routes-d-dot-jobs-feb-24-contractor-gets-big/
http://voiceofdetroit.net/2011/10/27/occupy-detroit-calls-for-march-for-ddot-workers-and-riders/
http://voiceofdetroit.net/2011/09/20/bus-workers-riders-blast-bing/
I read the tribute to the labor leader Leamon Wilson, written by his son Leamon E. Wilson. It was well written, and clearly illustrated the moral values, leadership, and family vision of a better life for all, that his father tried to attain. His son, while perhaps pursuing a different career path, will always be guided by the principles imbedded in the family by his father. All of us reading this give our sympathy to the family for their loss, and wish the best for the future university experience that his son will commence.
Dave Johnson