'09 DC & MD COPE Award Winners

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Johnnie Walker and Bill Grooms are this year’s COPE Award winners, and will be recognized at the 33rd annual Evening With Labor this Saturday. Email kmckirch@dclabor.org to reserve tickets. A longtime outspoken union leader and activist, AFGE 383’s Johnnie Walker was personally targeted in 2009 when his job was eliminated by the Fenty Administration.  But Walker – this year’s DC COPE Award winner -- stayed active with COPE, regularly attending meetings, rallies and actions including the Take Back DC protests, Take Back DC organizing meetings, the WTU 6 rally on the schools, hearings at the City Council and lobby visits.  Typically, Walker didn’t just show up himself, but was always bringing others with him to each event to build the crowd. Bill Grooms of IUOE 77 – this year’s MD COPE Award winner -- has been the Tri-County COPE volunteer chair since 1975. He has worked on every major political campaign for over 35 years, and has helped organize visible campaign activity by organized labor in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties, ensuring that labor is not taken for granted and has a seat at the table. As Chairman, he oversaw the recent victories on prevailing wages in construction, as well as many years’ worth of well-attended holiday parties and summer picnics for the COPE committee. - Photo (right) Walker (behind Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr) at the March ’09 Take Back DC Rally at the DC City Council Building, photo by Adam Wright; photo (left): Grooms (l) with Metro Council President Jos Williams and MD Congressman Steny Hoyer, photo courtesy Rick Powell Tomorrow: The Thomas M. Bradley Community Services Award