[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 190 (Monday, December 12, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  HONORING NICHOLAS AIELLO FOR HIS MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 12, 2011

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to join the members of the Central Labor Council of New Haven, 
Connecticut as they raise a toast and salute a very special member of 
Connecticut's labor movement, and my dear friend, Nicholas Aiello. One 
of the first organizers in the City of New Haven, Nick has long been a 
strong voice on behalf of working families and is known to many as one 
of the architects of Connecticut's labor movement.
  One of fourteen children, all of whom were garment workers in New 
Haven's shirt factories, Nick was no stranger to hard work, low pay, 
and less than ideal working conditions. As Nick recounts in Anthony 
Riccio's The Italian Experience in New Haven: Images and Oral 
Histories, ``When New York got completely organized, the `runaway 
shops' came to New Haven. They ran to New Haven where there were no 
union shops. And they would open up a storefront. They'd put twenty, 
thirty machines on the fourth floor and most of the stitching plants 
were on the fourth floor with no elevator. Conditions were horrible . . 
. Then in the 1930s came the Amalgamated and they started organizing 
drives in the area.'' It was with Amalgamated that Nick began as an 
organizer, taking to the streets of New Haven, rallying workers, and 
demanding better from industry management. He would go on to become a 
business agent for Amalgamated and still today remains involved with 
the Central Labor Council of New Haven. Nick is a pillar of 
Connecticut's labor movement and has earned the respect and admiration 
of labor and community leaders alike.
  Much has changed from Nick's days in the factories, however, he 
wanted to make sure that future generations understood the battles that 
were undertaken to ensure the rights of America's workers. A few years 
ago, Nick spearheaded the Greater New Haven Labor History Project--an 
organization whose mission was to collect, preserve, and share the 
history of working people in the Greater New Haven Area. Nick was 
determined to see this project succeed and, like in his early 
organizing days, went door to door to garner support. The response was 
extraordinary and today its members and staff create traveling exhibits 
and install them in community venues; preserve and maintain an archival 
repository of individuals' papers and local union records, documents 
and artifacts of historical significance; organize public events such 
as workshops, walking tours, book-signings, film festivals, and talks 
by esteemed labor historians; offer Records Inventory Services and 
access by appointment to many of their historical archives; as well as 
conduct projects such as oral history interviews with retired workers. 
In addition, the group also presents the August Lewis Troup Award 
annually to individuals in recognition of their personal contributions 
to the labor community. None of this would have been possible without 
Nick's persistence and unyielding determination to see it become a 
reality and he continues in his efforts by serving as the President of 
the Greater New Haven Labor History Project Association.
  I would be remiss if I did not extend a personal note of thanks to 
Nick for his many years of friendship and support. He has been in my 
corner from the very beginning and even today he still volunteers some 
of his time in my District Office. I could not be more appreciative of 
all of his good work on my behalf.
  For his many contributions to our community and particularly for his 
invaluable efforts with the Connecticut labor movement, I am proud to 
join the members of the Central Labor Council of New Haven in extending 
my heartfelt thanks to Nicholas Aiello. I extend my very best wishes to 
Nick and his son, Michael, for many more years of health and happiness.

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