[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 121 (Friday, September 5, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF 
                               TEAMSTERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 5, 2003

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, a centennial is an occasion for 
celebration, in which spirit it is my pleasure to congratulate the 
International Brotherhood of Teamsters on the occasion of their 100th 
anniversary. Founded on September 6, 1903, the Teamsters union has 
grown to become one of the largest and most diversified labor unions in 
the United States.
  Originating as a group representing the men who drove horse-drawn 
wagons to deliver freight, the Teamsters have grown and changed with 
the times. In the early decades of the 20th Century, the Teamsters 
adapted by also representing the drivers of motor trucks. By the 
beginning of the 21st Century, the Teamsters had diversified to 
represent truckers, airline workers, building material and construction 
trades, dairy and food processing employees, parcel and small package 
workers, public employees working for local governments, and a variety 
of other workers. With a membership of 1.4 million, one out of every 
ten union members in the United States is a Teamster.
  The Teamsters have served as a model for improving working conditions 
and wages for the American worker. In 1900, the typical Teamster worked 
12 to 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, for an average wage of $2.00 a 
day. Worker benefits that did not exist 100 years ago--the 40-hour work 
week, a retirement pension, paid holidays, and employer-sponsored 
healthcare--have become the norm for most of American labor, in large 
part because of the work of the Teamsters.
  I congratulate the Teamsters organization on their 100-year long 
effort to continually improve the quality of life for millions of 
American workers. To each of their members and their General President, 
Jim Hoffa, I extend my thanks for their contributions to a strong and 
productive economy. The Teamsters have my best wishes for their second 
century.

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