[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1231-E1232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO PHIL NEUENFELDT

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 12, 2018

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Phil Neuenfeldt who 
is retiring as President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO after 8 years 
of service in the role. Phil began his career on the shop floor in the 
manufacturing sector, as an active member of the International 
Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. He held various 
positions of leadership in his local union, including Chair of the 
bargaining committee where he fought for fair contracts and improved 
health and safety conditions for fellow workers.
  Prior to his election as President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, 
Phil served as both the Secretary-Treasurer and Legislative Director 
there. As Legislative Director, Phil Neuenfeldt worked tirelessly to 
strengthen the Wisconsin labor movement. He advanced a working family 
agenda which included: expanded ability for workers to organize, 
protected prevailing wage, defended the Family and Medical Leave Act, 
promoted teaching labor education in schools, pushed for fair tax codes 
and closing of corporate loopholes, fought against the privatization of 
public service jobs and promoted the creation and retention of 
manufacturing jobs. Phil as President was a central member in the broad 
coalition that was created to fight back against egregious attacks on 
labor in 2011 and 2012, and served as a spark that reignited our labor

[[Page E1232]]

movement in Wisconsin, the nation and around the world.
  Phil has been a proponent of developing strategies to upgrade worker 
skills and address changes in technology and the economy including 
initiatives such as the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership and 
Worker Centered Learning initiatives that are now national models for 
training and job creation. He knew the labor movement must continuously 
evolve in order to stay relevant in today's fast-changing workforce 
environment. Further, Phil's vision for the labor movement extends 
beyond current union members and he continually took on projects that 
not only expanded the sphere of solidarity but improved the lives of 
all working families. He knows that a key to long-term prosperity and a 
viable middle-class is a dynamic public and manufacturing sector which 
is why Phil sought to bridge gaps between labor and the community by 
advancing economic development projects that benefited both union 
workers, as well as, the community at large.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to call Phil Neuenfeldt my friend, he is a 
veteran and a father with deep roots in this community. I am pleased to 
recognize his strong fidelity to both the labor movement and its 
mission. I have known Phil for over two decades beginning while he 
served as Legislative Director and was always a welcomed visitor to my 
State Senate office. He willingly shared with me and my staff, both 
then and now, his knowledge and valuable insights about labor and many 
other issues.
  The citizens of the Fourth Congressional District, the State of 
Wisconsin and the nation have benefited tremendously from his service 
because he has fought for the AFL-CIO mission: to raise wages, improve 
workplace safety, protect worker freedom to collectively bargain and 
for strong contracts that build strong communities to mobilize union 
members and community partners to advocate for social and economic 
justice and strive daily to vanquish oppression and make our 
communities better for all people--regardless of race, color, gender, 
religion, age, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin. I am 
honored for these reasons to pay tribute to Mr. Phil Neuenfeldt.

                          ____________________