[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 93 (Thursday, June 8, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1207]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   TRIBUTE TO SMYRNA NISSAN EMPLOYEES

                                 ______


                            HON. BART GORDON

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 8, 1995
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, in the coming days and months Congress will 
be making big decisions about the way our economy works. These 
decisions will have a lasting impact on how America meets the 21st 
century and whether our workers and companies will have the tools to 
compete. I take my responsibility to make sure that America goes into 
the future strong and prepared very seriously.
  America has the most skilled, productive, and dedicated workers in 
the world. Despite vocal nay-sayers' predictions about the American 
economy declining in the face of international competition, I have 
found the opposite to be true.
  I did not have to go far to find proof. There are 6,000 hard-working 
people in Smyrna, TN who go to work every day at the Nissan Motor 
Manufacturing Corp. with the attitude that ``every day we want to do 
better than we did yesterday.'' Those words came from Nissan CEO and 
President Jerry Benefield who has proven that rewarding hard work and 
making sure that employees know they have the power to create--or 
break--their company.
  Those Smyrna Nissan employees have reason to be proud. They have 
built the most productive car and truck assembly plant in America for 
the second year in a row.
  One of the secrets of their success is attitude. Another is their 
extensive training and know-how. Those are the two keys that set not 
only the Smyrna plant apart from other American plants, but also what 
sets American companies apart from the rest of the world. Smyrna 
employees assemble a car in just 2.2 worker days, setting the benchmark 
for national productivity.
  I want to congratulate and thank the 6,000 of you who earned this 
recognition on behalf of Smyrna. It goes to show that Tennessee, and 
America, are poised to take the lead in innovation and productivity. 
All of you are obviously going above and beyond just doing your job--
and doing it very successfully.


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