[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 18 (Tuesday, February 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E134]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING C. THOMAS KEEGEL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 14, 2006

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize Mr. C. Thomas Keegel for his 45 years as a committed member 
of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
  Mr. C. Thomas Keegel has been a Teamster since 1959, when he got his 
first trucking job and became a member of Teamsters Local 544 in 
Minneapolis, Minnesota. From steward to his current position of General 
Secretary-Treasurer, Keegel has served as an elected Teamster officer 
for three decades.
  Keegel's skills as the union's chief financial officer were honed in 
the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. He built an area pension fund from $3 
million in assets to a $220 million powerhouse for Teamster retirees. 
That pension fund now offers a top benefit of $55,200 per year and 
excellent health coverage.
  Since taking office on March 19, 1999, Keegel has instituted sweeping 
reforms in every area of the Union's finances. He has balanced the 
budget for the first time in more than a decade, hired skilled auditors 
and accountants, developed programs to extend these reforms to 
Teamsters Local Unions, Joint Councils, Divisions and Conferences and 
has undertaken the task of strengthening the Union's treasury and 
Strike Fund.
  Keegel has taken a leading role in enforcing the Hoffa 
administration's commitment to running a clean union. As General 
Secretary-Treasurer, he instituted legal actions to recover money 
stolen from the Union treasury by the prior administration. He created 
safeguards to ensure that no such embezzlement ever occurs again. 
Keegel lent his energy, expertise, and enthusiasm to the continuation 
of the administration's comprehensive anti-corruption program.
  As General Secretary-Treasurer, Keegel aims to lift up his Teamster 
sisters and brothers to even greater heights through his work as their 
fiscal watchdog and the guardian of their hard-earned dues money.
  Mr. Speaker and distinguished colleagues, please join me in honoring 
Mr. C. Thomas Keegel for ensuring the International Brotherhood of 
Teamsters' continued financial stability and accountability.

                          ____________________