Organized Labor

• North Dakota Native Rose to Longtime Service at SFLC, Was Known for Civil Rights Advocacy

Walter Johnson, the longtime secretary-treasurer of the San Francisco Labor Council and a champion of the rights of working people, died Jan. 12 at age 87 after suffering a heart attack.

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  Walter Johnson
  North Dakota Native Rose to Longtime Service at SFLC, Was Known for Civil Rights Advocacy

Walter Johnson, the longtime secretary-treasurer of the San Francisco Labor Council and a champion of the rights of working people, died Jan. 12 at age 87 after suffering a heart attack.

North Dakota Native Rose to Longtime Service at SFLC, Was Known for Civil Rights Advocacy

Walter Johnson, the longtime secretary-treasurer of the San Francisco Labor Council and a champion of the rights of working people, died Jan. 12 at age 87 after suffering a heart attack.

“Walter’s integrity and honesty were impeccable,” said current SFLC executive director Tim Paulson. “Everybody knew where he came from, and that he was on the side of working men and women. He will be truly missed.”

Johnson served as secretary-treasurer from 1985 until he retired in 2004, when he was given the title of secretary treasurer emeritus. He began his career in the labor movement in 1957, when he became a business agent for the Retail Clerks Union in San Francisco. He had worked as an appliance salesman for Sears since 1951. His leadership in the Retail Clerks Union led to increased rights of all workers: women, people of color, and gays and lesbians. He played an important role in helping the first African American woman get hired to work behind the counter at Woolworths.

A Man Who Loved to Help

As SFLC leader, Johnson worked with union leaders, community groups, religious leaders and elected officials to advocate for enhancing quality of life. In a message to union members, California Labor Federation Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski said, “Walt was a big and fearless advocate for everyone and anyone who was wronged, mistreated, put down, left out, pushed aside or just down on their luck. That’s why he became a union organizer. He loved his work and the people he served.”

Paulson added, “My predecessor and Secretary Emeritus of the San Francisco Labor Council, Walter Johnson, led our council during a time when labor and management had negotiations and fights. They would always be able to shake hands and walk out the door no matter what the sides came up with. Too bad the attacks on labor have become so vicious and destructive.”

San Francisco labor columnist Dick Meister remembered Johnson in his column. “I met Walter thanks to my job as the Chronicle’s labor editor. That was in the early 1960s, a few years after he had arrived in San Francisco from his native North Dakota to work as a Sears appliance salesman. Dave Selvin, the labor historian and former public information officer for the Labor Council, had told me I should be sure to check out ‘a young guy’ who’d just been elected president of the Department Store Employees. Walter Johnson, of course.

“Selvin predicted good things for Johnson, and he was right.

“Under Johnson’s leadership, San Francisco store clerks, department store employees and others won labor contracts at least as rewarding as the contracts of those who held similar jobs elsewhere.

A Vietnam War Opponent

“Union representatives were appointed to many city commissions, major job-creating construction projects were approved, and Mayor Alioto stepped in to mediate settlements of major strikes. Picketing strikers could be pretty certain police wouldn’t interfere. New businesses unfriendly to labor found it difficult to get necessary city permits. Thanks to Johnson and other leaders, labor had gained considerable political clout to go with its considerable economic clout.”

Meister also noted that Johnson was “one of the few labor leaders to speak out against the Vietnam War, which was wholeheartedly supported by the AFL-CIO’s national leadership and most of its affiliates.”

Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, former San Francisco Mayor, said, “Walter was strongly committed to equitable treatment for all, and as a fearless advocate he worked to advance social justice and civil rights in the workplace. It is without a doubt that California remains at the forefront of labor rights because of Walter Johnson’s vigilance.”

Mayor Ed Lee said, “San Francisco has a history of being at the forefront of labor rights, and much of San Francisco’s legacy would not have been possible without Walter. Known for his incredibly acute memory and wonderful sense of humor, we will never forget Walter’s outstanding leadership and his many achievements that advanced worker and civil rights.”

State Senator Leland Yee also issued a statement, saying, “Walter Johnson was an extraordinary leader for working families and served as a father figure and mentor to so many of us in public service. He always said that labor should be the conscience of our communities. He helped ensure that San Francisco became a welcoming city and he led by example – always fighting for the disadvantaged, for civil rights, and for justice. He will be sorely missed.”

Reporting by, Paul Burton and Dick Meister