[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 25, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING JAMES CASTELLANE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 25, 2013

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
James Castellane, one of Long Island's most formidable leaders and a 
dynamic advocate for working families, on this occasion of his 
retirement.
  I am proud to call Jimmy a good friend and partner in expanding 
opportunity and raising the standard of living for working men and 
women across Long Island. Jimmy has dedicated his life to improving 
workplace conditions and ensuring that every worker has a chance to 
work at a quality, good paying job.
  Jim joined his local insulator union, the International Association 
of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, upon returning from 
the war in Vietnam. For the next forty years, Jim devoted his time 
working as an enthusiastic laborer, organizer and union leader.
  In 2007, Jimmy became President of the Building and Construction 
Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. As 
President, Jimmy represented 36 local construction unions and over 
55,000 workers.
  As President of the council during one of the worst economic crises 
in our country's history, Jim understood the importance of construction 
trades and the hardships faced by workers and fought tirelessly to 
create and save good paying construction jobs on Long Island.
  As a veteran, Jim is familiar with the hardships that can come with 
returning home from war. He often partnered the Building and 
Construction Trades Council with local government agencies and 
businesses to ensure that every returning service man and woman had the 
opportunity to find quality employment.
  Jim extended his passion for protecting workers' rights well beyond 
that of the construction trades as a member of the Executive Committee 
of the Long Island Federation of Labor. No matter what the industry, 
you could rest assured you would find Jim on the front line in defense 
of his fellow Long Islanders whenever workers' rights were threatened.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the First Congressional District of New 
York, I thank Jim Castellane for his service to our country and the 
many decades he has spent advancing the rights of workers on Long 
Island. On behalf of the people of the first congressional district of 
New York, I wish him the very best retirement and all the best in the 
years to come.

                          ____________________