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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-266
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
September 20, 2016
To recognize and honor Frederick P. Allen for his educational and civic contributions to the District of Columbia.
WHEREAS, Frederick P. Allen is a native Washingtonian, born on September 16, 1942 and baptized at Incarnation Catholic Church of Deanwood;
WHEREAS, Frederick P. Allen was educated in the District of Columbia, attending both Catholic and public schools, and graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School;
WHEREAS, Frederick P. Allen first began his government service on September 17, 1964, at the U.S. Government Printing Office in the Engineering Division, Industrial Cleaning Section;
WHEREAS, in November of 1964, Frederick P. Allen joined Local 713 of the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants Union of North America;
WHEREAS, he then transferred to the hand section of the Composing Division and was elected Chapel Chairman on the night shift in April 1966;
WHEREAS, in that position, he was required to recruit and train Section Chapel Chairpersons, and he served as a member of the Local’s first Negotiating Committee;
WHEREAS, Frederick P. Allen led the movement for mass reclassification of all positions in the bargaining unit at a time when non-craft unions were not permitted to negotiate wages;
WHEREAS, in 1972, Frederick P. Allen was elected to the office of Organizer Serviceman and Delegate to the International Convention, which was held in Miami Beach, Florida;
WHEREAS, there, he gained international recognition as he was selected to represent the Local at the very first Black Caucus meeting, and articulated the issues so well that he was elected by a unanimous vote of all Caucus members to be the spokesperson for the group;
WHEREAS, Frederick P. Allen was appointed to the position of Special Assistant to the President of the Local, and represented Local 713 on the Council of Craft at the U.S. Government Printing Office (“GPO”);
WHEREAS, in 1974, Frederick P. Allen announced he was a candidate for the Office of President of Local 713, Washington Federal Printing Worker’s Union, and won;
WHEREAS, Frederick P. Allen was able to convince the membership to join the Metropolitan Washington Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and in 1977 he was elected to the Executive Board;
WHEREAS, in 1983, Frederick P. Allen was elected to the General Board of the New Graphics Communication International Union, representing the Atlantic Region;
WHEREAS, Frederick P. Allen worked tirelessly to bring about change that would improve the quality of work life for all GPO employees: he won full wage negotiations for all non-craft blue collar workers at GPO, eliminated barriers that prevented women from being promoted to positions traditionally reserved for men, and eliminated the policy of reducing wage rates to accept an apprenticeship; and
WHEREAS, Frederick P. Allen has been working with the Metropolitan Washington Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO in various capacities by contributing substantial leadership and services to the labor community for 39 years, including his positions as Secretary Treasurer and Chairman of the COPE and Evening with Labor Dinner.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Frederick P. Allen Recognition Resolution of 2016”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes Frederick P. Allen and his contributions to the District as a community leader.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first day of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
