[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 48 (Tuesday, April 25, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S2860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE GREATER DETROIT BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL RECEIVES 
         2000 GENDER AND RACE DIVERSIFICATION EXCELLENCE AWARD

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, on May 2, 2000, the Great Lakes 
Construction Alliance will hold its annual Gender and Race 
Diversification Excellence Awards dinner. Each year, the G.A.R.D.E. 
Awards are given to labor owners and contractor organizations which 
have made significant efforts in improving the recruitment and 
retention of women and people of color in the unionized construction 
industry. Each award winner has developed, or engaged in, some 
substantial program with the goal of furthering opportunities for women 
and people of color, which is one of the fundamental principles upon 
which the Great Lakes Construction Alliance was founded.
  Nominees are judged by a jury of construction industry 
representatives. To be considered for the G.A.R.D.E. Award, programs 
must show documentation, including numbers for minorities and women, of 
the number of people added to the organization's labor force, and 
promote quality, acceptable construction practices. Ultimately, the 
awards are given to those programs which have made significant efforts 
to improve the recruitment and retention of women and people of color 
in the unionized construction industry. The recipients of the 2000 
G.A.R.D.E. Awards are the Human Rights Department of the City of 
Detroit, the Greater Detroit Building and Construction Trades Council, 
and the Comerica Park Construction Management Team.
  The Greater Detroit Building and Construction Trades Council, with 
Barton-Malow acting as program manager, formed twenty construction 
management teams, which together coordinated over 750,000 hours of 
service during the Detroit Public Schools Summer Emergency Maintenance 
Program. 130 minority students, thirty-seven percent of whom were 
female, participated in the Summer Emergency Maintenance Program. The 
twenty construction management teams provided these students with the 
opportunity to work directly with prime contractors in a multitude of 
capacities, including administrative activities, painting, electrical, 
mechanical, and plumbing. Students were also assigned a mentor who 
helped them develop objectives and document their work experiences. The 
construction management teams also prepared outcome reports, which 
provided guidance for educators to continue support of the students' 
interests once the school year began.
  Mr. President, I applaud the Greater Detroit Building and 
Construction Trades Council, and the members of the twenty construction 
management teams, for their willingness to help these students. 
Undoubtedly, their efforts had a profound impact on the lives of each 
and every one of them. Furthermore, this is the type of work that must 
be done if the revitalization of Detroit is truly to come about. On 
behalf of the entire United States Senate, I congratulate the Greater 
Detroit Building and Construction Trades Council on receiving the 200 
Gender and Race Diversification Excellence Award.

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