[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 135 (Friday, August 11, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO ERNEST R. GRECCO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 11, 2017

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Ernest ``Ernie'' R. 
Grecco on being honored for his fifty-five years of service to the 
labor movement next Tuesday evening, August 15, in Baltimore. I have 
known and worked closely with Ernie, who serves as President of the 
Baltimore Metro AFL-CIO, for thirty years. He is one of the toughest 
advocates for working men and women I've ever met, who has dedicated 
his life and his career to achieving better pay and conditions for 
workers and opportunity for their families in Maryland.
  Ernie has worked on behalf of labor in Maryland since 1970, when he 
was elected Secretary-Treasurer of what was then the Distillery Workers 
Local 34-D. In 1976, he became Committee on Political Education (COPE) 
Director for the Metropolitan Baltimore Council AFL-CIO. He went on to 
lead the Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO COPE from 
1983-1987 before taking the helm in Baltimore. Since that time, 
whenever working people in the greater Baltimore area have had a 
challenge to overcome, Ernie's been there, leading the way and bringing 
to bear the forces of organized labor and its allies. Under his 
leadership, the Baltimore Metro AFL-CIO has expanded programs for job 
training, placement, and community service.
  Ernie also became involved in making his community a better place by 
serving as the Secretary of the United Way of Maryland from 1992 until 
this year. He also received the Samuel Gompers Award from the American 
Red Cross and the Joseph Beirne Award from the United Way of America. 
In 1995, the International Association of Firefighters Local 734 and 
Local 964 established the Grecco Labor Award in Ernie's honor.
  I'm proud to stand with Ernie and the hardworking men and women of 
labor to advocate for better wages, better conditions, and greater 
opportunities for all our people to make it in America. I hope my 
colleagues will join me in congratulating Ernie on this well deserved 
honor and thanking him for his service and contributions to Maryland 
and our country.

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