William Harwell, 75, Retired AA to Two Secretary-Treasurers

William (“Bill”) Harwell, a longtime member and retired administrative assistant to two former CWA Secretary-Treasurers, died Oct. 13 at the age of 75.

Harwell joined CWA Local 6360 after going to work in 1959 as a tool and die maker for Western Electric in Lee’s Summit, Mo. In 1969, as president of Local 6360, Harwell was temporarily appointed to CWA staff to coordinate an organizing campaign among workers at a new Western Electric plant in Mesquite, Tex. After helping organize more than a thousand workers at the plant, Harwell became a full-time staff representative in District 6 in 1970.

As staff representative for District 6, and briefly for District 12 when Texas was a single-state district, Harwell gained a reputation as a tough strategic negotiator, heading up bargaining for CWA members in Missouri and Texas, chiefly at Western Electric, United Telephone and other telecom employers.

In 1980, Harwell was appointed administrative assistant to the District 6 Vice President, a post he held until being named administrative assistant to CWA Secretary-Treasurer Jim Booe in 1988. He also served as administrative assistant to CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara J. Easterling. He retired in 2000.