[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 26, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING PIPEFITTERS, STEAMFITTERS, REFRIGERATION AND AIR 
                     CONDITIONING SERVICE LOCAL 636

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 26, 2014

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the important 
contributions that the Pipefitters, Steamfitters, Refrigeration and Air 
Conditioning Service Local 636 have made to their members as well as 
working families and communities throughout southeast Michigan. On 
Saturday, March 29, 2014, the men and women of Local 636 will celebrate 
the 100th anniversary of its founding.
  Since it was chartered on March 17, 1914, Local 636 has worked to 
secure safe working conditions, fair wages, health and welfare 
benefits, and retirement security for its membership. Also notable is 
Local 636's longstanding commitment to ensuring that its members have 
the training necessary to do the difficult and skilled work required of 
them. In 1936, Local 636 began its first organized Apprenticeship 
Training. Today, Local 636's leaders and members are justifiably proud 
of its 27,000 square foot Pipefitting Industry Training Center, located 
on 3 acres in Troy, Michigan, where apprentices can receive classroom 
and other instruction, and where journeymen can continuously update 
their professional skills.
  Local 636 members have literally helped to build the City of Detroit 
and so much of southeast Michigan. Early in its history, Local 636 
members helped to build Detroit's Statler Hotel and the Stroh's 
Brewery, and they installed Carrier centrifugal chillers at the J.L. 
Hudson Company, making it the first air-conditioned department store in 
the United States. Local 636's members have helped build the Detroit 
area's iconic workplaces, including Ford, General Motors and Chrysler 
plants, Detroit's Renaissance Center, and the corporate headquarters of 
Compuware. The region's sports and entertainment fans benefit from the 
work that Local 636's members have done at Cobo Hall, the home of the 
annual North American International Auto Show and numerous events and 
conventions each year, the Detroit Red Wings' Joe Louis Arena, the 
Detroit Tigers' Comerica Park, and the Detroit Lions' Ford Field.
  The members of Local 636 are also committed to the well-being of 
people living in communities throughout Metro Detroit, contributing 
their time and money to causes including blood drives, The Wellness 
House, St. Patrick's Senior Center, and the ``Heat's On/Water's Off' 
program.
  Mr. Speaker, for the last century, the men and women of Local 636 
have stood at the forefront of the labor movement in Michigan, and have 
made vital contributions to communities throughout the Metro Detroit 
area. I am proud to represent so many members of Local 636 in 
Michigan's 9th Congressional District. I hope you and my colleagues 
will join me in congratulating the men and women of Local 636 as they 
mark 100 years of excellence, and in wishing them continued success in 
their second century.

                          ____________________