[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 153 (Thursday, September 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                UPON THE RETIREMENT OF MICHAEL THERIAULT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 13, 2018

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise along with Democratic Leader Nancy 
Pelosi, to commend the extraordinary service of Michael Theriault, the 
retiring Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Building and 
Construction Trades Council, after 13 years of service to the council 
and many years of service to the San Francisco Bay Area.
  Mike graduated from St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He 
became an Apprentice in Ironworkers Local 377 in 1985 and in that 
position was named Apprentice of the Year. He was so successful as an 
apprentice and journeyman that in 2001 Local 331 selected him to be the 
Business Representative, and then elected him to the position in 2003. 
He would later remark that his skill at negotiating agreements came in 
large part from his understanding of the day-to-day realities of 
working at a job site. As he noted, ``Understanding of the work, the 
flow of work, is more important to union leaders in the trades than in 
most other unions . . . you come to union leadership after actually 
having run work.''
  In addition to serving as a delegate to the San Francisco Building 
and Construction Trades Council, Mike represented his local as a 
delegate to councils in San Mateo, Marin, Sonoma-Lake-Mendocino and 
Humboldt-Del Norte counties. For any of you who know the geography of 
California, you would instantly realize that Mike has been a busy man. 
It's 350 miles and a 6\1/2\ hour drive between San Francisco and 
Crescent City in the most northern county of California. It takes the 
fortitude of an ironworker to make that trip on a regular basis, 
representing the interests of members whose livelihoods depend upon 
Mike's skills and dedication to their wellbeing.
  These counties are also the core counties comprising the Golden Gate 
Transportation District, the entity that built and manages the Golden 
Gate Bridge. Mike was appointed a director of the bridge district in 
2011. The bridge itself is a testament to the skill of his members from 
generations ago through to our times.
  In addition to serving on these other entities, Mike served on the 
Executive Board of the San Francisco Labor Council, the Executive Board 
of the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, on 
the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition, 
and as a member of the SPUR Board of Directors.
  In the depths of the Great Recession, Mike fought hard for work via 
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act so that the 40% unemployment 
rate in his hall would be dramatically reduced. He noted to us and to 
our staff that people were losing their homes and their hopes. Over 
$400 million in federal funding was delivered to help construct the new 
Transbay Terminal. That Act, championed by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi 
and supported by the entire Bay Area delegation, literally created the 
foundation of the project. Other policies created by the City of San 
Francisco also contributed mightily to a resurrection of the local 
economy. Today, construction cranes are as numerous on the skyline of 
the City and County of San Francisco as are cable cars on its streets.
  In an interview published just before his retirement, he noted that 
he was able to negotiate a string of project labor agreements that will 
give jobs to families for a generation to come. He cited projects on 
Treasure Island, Hunters Point/Candlestick Point, the city's wastewater 
system, and the new Transbay Terminal, among many projects transforming 
the city's streets and skies. He also noted his goal that housing be 
created for all income groups, but particularly for middle and working-
class residents who are his and our neighbors and friends. Another key 
tool to keep middle class families in San Francisco is to offer middle 
class jobs. Mike Theriault was instrumental in getting shop classes 
reestablished in the high school system. From these shop classes will 
come future Mike Theriaults, apprentices of the year.
  As he retires, he says that he's going to work in his garden and will 
write bad poetry. We seriously doubt that he will write bad poetry and 
we hope that his garden flourishes. He deserves time to contemplate the 
skyline and the hopes that he built across 33 years of union 
membership, and definitely more time to spend with his wife, Diana, and 
their two boys, Josquin and Eugene.
  It's been said that hope springs eternal, but in truth it takes great 
leadership to keep hope alive across a generation. Mike has earned the 
gratitude of his membership and his community for keeping hope alive 
throughout these years. Like the Golden Gate Bridge created by prior 
ironworkers, Michael Theriault is truly one for the ages.

                          ____________________