[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 5, 2012)] [Senate] [Page S3725] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO ERNIE YATESMrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to my friend Ernie Yates, the dynamic California labor leader who is retiring next month after 49 years as a member, business agent, and officer of Teamsters Local 665 in San Francisco. Ernie was born in San Francisco in 1946 and attended Mission High School. At age 17, he got a job at Allright Parking and joined Local 665. In 1977, Ernie was appointed as the business agent for Local 665 and his assignments included policing labor agreements and processing grievances in a variety of crafts, including the rent-a-car, parking garage, shuttle bus, and taxicab industries. Three years later, he was elevated to the executive board of Local 665 and became its president. Throughout the next decade, Ernie negotiated Teamster regional, master, and white paper contracts in all of the core automotive industries under the local's jurisdiction. In 1992, with the active support of hundreds of Local 665 members, Ernie was elected secretary-treasurer, the principal officer of the union, a position he has held until his announced retirement in 2012. During his 35 years as an officer and business agent of Local 665, Ernie honed his skills as an expert labor negotiator. In both good and bad economic times, Ernie has used these skills to bring fair and just contract settlements to thousands of workers at Teamster worksites throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Ernie has been married to his beloved wife Janet for 47 years. Together they have two sons, Michael and Mark; a daughter, Kimberly; 12 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. On June 12, 2012, Teamsters Local 665 will celebrate Ernie's decades of service to the union's membership and the working families of California. I am honored to join them in saluting a great Californian and a great American, Ernie Yates. ____________________