[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 41 (Monday, March 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2892-S2893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                 ED HILL, J.J. BARRY AND JERRY O'CONNOR

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I congratulate Ed Hill, the new 
president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, IBEW, 
on his election, and thank the outgoing president, J.J. ``Jack'' Barry, 
for his years of dedicated service to IBEW.
  When I think about all the hard work and long hours presidents Hill 
and Barry have put in over the years, I am reminded of a story that one 
of my heroes, the great Hubert H. Humphrey liked to tell.
  It was Humphrey's 65th birthday, and he was celebrating with his 
grandchildren. One of the grandkids looked up and said, ``Grandpa, how 
long have you been a Democrat?''
  Humphrey thought about that for a moment, and replied, ``Well, I've 
been a Democrat for 70 years.''
  His grandson said, ``Grandpa, how could you have been a Democrat for 
70 years when you're only 65 years old?''
  ``Easy,'' Humphrey answered, ``I've put in a lot of overtime.''
  Well, these men have put in a lot of overtime on behalf of the IBEW 
and on behalf of all Americans.
  You know, I like to tell people, you go to any town in America, rural 
or urban, big or small, and you'll see the IBEW's work on display. 
Whether it's lighting our homes, or heating our schools, or bringing 
the Internet to our libraries, it's clear that the IBEW's work is 
critical to our families and our economy.
  I welcome the new leadership and express my gratitude to the outgoing 
leadership.
  Ed Hill hails from Beaver County, PA, and he has a long history with 
the IBEW. Ed joined IBEW Local 712 in his hometown back in 1956 and 
worked his way up to business manager in 1970. He became part of the 
IBEW staff in 1982, and, by 1994, he was a Vice President in charge of 
operations in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware.
  In 1997, Ed became the IBEW's second highest-ranking officer, and he 
worked hard to bring the latest technology to IBEW's operations. He 
also spent long hours building the membership of IBEW-COPE to record 
levels and making new strides in grassroots activism and 
communications.
  Ed is a talented leader, and he has a strong foundation to build on. 
IBEW's outgoing president, J.J. Barry, had a long, impressive tenure at 
the IBEW. Jack is from Syracuse, NY and joined Local 43 in Syracuse in 
1943. He served on the executive board and became business manager in 
1962. In 1968, he began serving as International Representative and 
then, in 1976, became International vice president of the third 
district which includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and 
Delaware.
  Jack was a virtuoso organizer, and during his tenure, he began a 
number of important, new initiatives in education and training for IBEW 
members. He was widely respected and honored throughout this country 
and around the world for his outstanding work. While I will miss him in 
his position as president, I look forward to working with him in a new 
capacity in the coming years.
  I also recognize Jerry O'Connor who was appointed to take Ed's place 
as IBEW secretary-treasurer. Jerry has been on the IBEW staff since 
1987 and has served as International vice president of the IBEW's sixth 
district covering Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin 
since 1995. He was initiated into IBEW Local 701 in Wheaton, IL in 
1959, and he served his local as business manager-financial secretary 
from 1978 until he joined the IBEW staff. I look forward to working 
with him in his new position.
  For over 100 years, the IBEW has been a leader in the union movement 
in America. Whether they were providing energy to our war efforts 
during World War II, creating one of the best apprenticeship programs 
around, or providing workers with the cutting edge skills they need to 
keep up with current electricity needs, IBEW was always ahead of the 
times.
  I know that the newest generation of IBEW leadership will continue 
this

[[Page S2893]]

proud tradition. I thank them for their dedication and commitment, and 
I look forward to working with them in the coming years.

                          ____________________