[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 59 (Thursday, May 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   RECOGNITION OF THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF 
                   ELECTRICAL WORKERS LOCAL UNION 180

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                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 3, 2001

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, my colleague, Mr. George 
Miller of California and I, rise today to recognize the International 
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 180 as this organization 
celebrates its 100th anniversary.
  One hundred years ago on May 6, 1901, Local 180 was chartered by the 
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
  Since its inception, Local 180 has been integrally connected to 
shipbuilding at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo. Electrical 
workers helped build the 513 ships, that were launched at Mare Island 
between 1859 and 1970, from the Saginaw, a wooden hulled steamer, to 
the Drum, a nuclear powered submarine.
  When war was declared with Germany on April 6, 1917, union workers 
helped turn Mare Island and Vallejo into a commercial hub that could 
support the war effort.
  In the years following World War I, no ships were launched at Mare 
Island and the workers turned to use their skills to help build the 
Carquinez Bridge.
  In the 1930s, shipbuilding began again at Mare Island. The union shop 
was reestablished and wages and benefits that had been lost during the 
previous decade were renegotiated.
  During World War II, shipbuilding and union activity at Mare Island 
escalated. Union members are proud that 95% of all electrical work that 
directly supported the war effort nationally was performed by the IBEW 
under union shop conditions.
  In the second half of the 20th Century, Local 180 members helped 
construct Monticello Dam, the second Carquinez Bridge, the Exxon 
Refinery, the Benecia Industrial Park, and the Anheuser Busch Brewery 
as well as the country's nuclear submarine fleet at Mare Island.
  Mr. Speaker, in honor of its rich history and traditions, it is 
appropriate that we acknowledge and honor today this pioneering union 
local and its members who have made an immeasurable difference in the 
lives of working families and the community in Napa and Solano 
Counties.

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