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WHEREAS, on May 4, 2012, the passing of Leon Lynch has left us deeply saddened, he will be missed but not forgotten; and
WHEREAS, Leon Lynch built a career that included more than 40 years as a union organizer, his passion began in 1956, when he joined USW Local 1011 at Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. in East Chicago, Indiana; and
WHEREAS, Leon Lynch's most prominent role in the union, occurred when he was first appointed as the United Steelworkers International Vice President of Human Affairs, when it was created by the USW's 18th Constitutional Convention in 1976; and
WHEREAS, this appointment made Leon Lynch the first black leader to serve among the senior ranks of any labor union in the country, continued for six terms until retiring in 2006; and
WHEREAS, Leon Lynch, an accomplished bass fiddle player, performed with the Count Basie Orchestra when he was 18, and later at the Indiana steel mill, met co-worker Joe Jackson and played bass in a band that backed Jackson's sons when they formed a family singing group called the Jackson 5; and
WHEREAS, Leon Lynch was active in many political and human rights organizations, including, the executive committee of the Democratic National Committee, the Workers Defense League, the National Endowment for Democracy, the AFL-CIO Executive Council and the Labor Roundtable of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators; and
WHEREAS, in 1994, Leon Lynch was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Advisory Council on Unemployment Compensation and in 2000, to the Air Traffic Service Board of the Federal Aviation Administration; and
WHEREAS, the world has been changed by his work, a claim that not many can make, the great leadership Leon Lynch exemplified will continue as stated by U.S. Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-IN), who declared in the House that Lynch taught every member of the union the true meaning of service and was a "beacon of hope throughout the country;"
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and honor Leon Lynch for his dedicated communal efforts, and does hereby declare the month of May 2012 to be "Leon Lynch Month" in the City of Pittsburgh.