Memorial service
DOUGLAS A. FRASER:
Hundreds honor late UAW leader at memorial
Dec. 18, 1916 – Feb. 23, 2008
Photos by: Roger Kerson 
A bagpiper plays at the memorial for former UAW President Doug Fraser, who died Feb. 23. |
DETROIT — A former U.S. vice president and two Michigan governors were among hundreds who paid tribute to former UAW President Douglas A. Fraser at a memorial held at Wayne State University, where the labor leader taught for decades after retiring from the union.
"Doug" — as he was known to most everyone from the board room to the shop floor — died Feb. 23 after a long battle with emphysema. He was 91.
Held April 12 at the university’s Community Arts Auditorium, the 90-minute memorial ended with a rousing rendition of the UAW anthem, "Solidarity Forever." There were few dry eyes afterward among the dignitaries, activists and UAW rank-and-file members.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said Fraser taught successive UAW leaders that leadership is a 'sacred trust.'
"Doug was a wonderful man with a heart of gold, and he is an everlasting part of the union he loved so much," said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger in his remarks. "Doug taught those of us in the UAW that to serve our active and retired membership is a 'sacred trust' that must never be broken," he added. "The membership must always come first."
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Doug came to the United States during the Depression when he was 6. His family moved to Detroit where he learned about union activism from his father, Samuel Douglas, an electrician.
Before his senior year, Doug dropped out of high school and went to work at Chrysler's DeSoto plant in 1936. While there, he quickly rose through the ranks to become Local 227 president, co-director of Region 1A and UAW president in 1977. He retired in 1983 and became university professor of labor studies at WSU.
Known for his easy-going manner and trademark grin, Doug was a skillful negotiator and powerful force for all workers, as evidenced by the speakers’ stories.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm said he was "a leader to emulate."
Former Gov. Jim Blanchard called him "larger than life."
Former UAW President Owen Bieber focused on Doug's global efforts to speak out about apartheid in South Africa, social inequality in South America and labor unrest in Poland.
Former UAW President Owen Bieber said Fraser helped many workers and oppressed people get justice.
"“Doug had a lot of guts and courage and spoke out on their behalf and helped them in many cases get justice," Bieber said.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale called Doug a powerful advocate for workers, adding that as a senator he always voted with the UAW because he could never manage to tell Doug "no."
Doug’s 50-year labor career is marked by many accomplishments, but perhaps his most well known came in 1979 when he helped convince Congress to pass legislation making it possible for Chrysler to secure a $1.2 billion government bailout that kept the automaker from going under.
While former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca often gets credited for saving Chrysler from bankruptcy, Doug argued that the union deserved the credit.
Former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale said he could never say no to Doug Fraser.
"“I get a little weary of people saying Lee Iacocca saved the Chrysler Corp.," Doug said in a video shown at the memorial. "That’s bullshit. The Chrysler workers saved the Chrysler Corp."
A letter sent by Iacocca was read at the memorial, and said, in part: "“What Doug did was groundbreaking. Without him, we would not have survived."