[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 27, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 IN RECOGNITION OF JOSEPH W. NIGRO, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEPHEN F. LYNCH

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 27, 2005

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of a man whose 
professional life has been dedicated to improving the lives of working 
men and women in Massachusetts and across our nation.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my duty to inform the Membership of the House that 
my dear friend, Joseph W. Nigro, Jr. is retiring from the post of 
General Agent of the Boston Metropolitan Building Trades Council in 
Boston, Massachusetts.
  Mr. Speaker, Joe Nigro is a remarkable leader with a long and 
illustrious career in the American Labor Movement. Joe Nigro was 
initiated into the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 
Local 103 on November 21, 1960 and from the beginning he has been a 
shining example of dedicated service to his union, his community and 
his family and for these reasons is entirely worthy of Congressional 
recognition as well as the appreciation of this nation. Joe's personal 
integrity, hard work and determination illustrate the best 
characteristics of those who serve the working men and women of this 
country.
  Over the last 18 years in his position as General Agent of the Boston 
Metropolitan Building Trades Council, Joe Nigro has made enormous 
contributions to the men and women of the building trades, not just in 
Massachusetts but across the country. Under Joe Nigro's leadership, the 
United States Supreme Court confirmed the legal right to use Project 
Labor Agreements on public projects creating job opportunities for 
union construction workers across the nation.
  As a member of the Massachusetts State Legislature and Chair of its 
Commerce and Labor Committee, I witnessed Joe's passionate advocacy on 
behalf of working families. From securing benefits for workers who had 
lost their jobs, to training the next generation of America's workers, 
Joe has worked to ensure that the views and interests of working people 
are at the forefront of our state and national policy.
  Mr. Speaker, Joe Nigro has also been a man committed to his community 
and has dedicated many hours and much energy to various charities 
including the South Boston Neighborhood House, the Muscular Dystrophy 
Association, the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, as well as the Fiske 
Family Inn Foundation.
  On a personal note, I believe that one of Joe's greatest 
accomplishments has been little recognized over the years: that is, his 
remarkable ability to maintain ``labor peace'' among the building 
trades during times of enormous challenge within the labor movement. As 
the former President of the Ironworkers Union in Boston, I can assure 
you that this was a monumental task.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to take the floor of the House 
today to join with Joe's wonderful family, friends, and brothers and 
sisters in the Labor Movement to thank him for his service and 
congratulate him on his much-deserved retirement. I hope my colleagues 
will join me in celebrating Joe Nigro's distinguished career and all 
his future endeavors.

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