[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 135 (Thursday, July 30, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE CAREER AND SERVICE OF KEN DELACRUZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 2020

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the retirement of 
Mr. Ken Delacruz, President of the Metal Trades Council at General 
Dynamics Electric Boat, after 46 years of service as a shipbuilder and 
a leader in our region.
  In his time at the shipyard, Kenny has seen it all--he saw the boom 
years of construction on the Los Angeles and Ohio Class submarines 
early in his career as a welder, the lean post-Cold War years of 
Seawolf and the uncertain start of Virginia class. In recent years, 
he's led the workforce as the yard ramped up for steady rate 
construction of the Virginia class program and the start of the 
Columbia class submarine, an historic expansion in work and activity 
that has surged hiring in the yard with a new generation of 
shipbuilders.
  Since 1991, Kenny has served as President of the Metals Trades 
Council at Electric Boat, representing thousands of workers across the 
waterfront trades. In that position Kenny has negotiated eight 
collective bargaining agreements--the latest winning 85 percent 
approval among members in 2019. Being a labor leader in a shipyard is a 
tough job, but in his incredible 29 years as president Ken has earned 
the respect of generations of his members, management, and elected 
officials.
  Kenny's permanent footprint on the yard will be felt in other ways as 
well, most importantly with his focus on the future of the workforce. 
In 2014, Ken was instrumental in helping to make the case to then-Labor 
Secretary Tom Perez during his visit to Groton about the need for 
federal investment in the manufacturing pipeline program to help new 
tradesmen and women gain the skills and training they need to succeed. 
After that visit, the eastern Connecticut workforce investment board 
received a $6 million workforce innovation grant from the U.S. 
Department of Labor that has resulted in hundreds of pre-apprenticeship 
graduates acquiring entry level skills at EB. And, he led the effort 
re-establish and re-invigorate the apprenticeship program to ensure 
that the knowledge of our veteran skilled machinists and welders can be 
handed down to the next generation.
  On a personal note, for over twenty years, Kenny has always been a 
good friend and confidante, who taught me a lot about his members, 
their amazing talents and value to eastern Connecticut, navy 
shipbuilding and our national defense.
  As Kenny prepares for his well-deserved retirement, he can take pride 
in knowing that the shipyard he joined in 1976 has a more solid 
foundation and a brighter future thanks to his leadership and 
commitment to his workforce and the nation's undersea priorities. He 
has been a trusted ally, a committed partner and a friend to me and my 
office. And most important, he's been a fearless advocate for the men 
and women of the Metal Trades Council.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Kenny's 46 years of 
service to Electric Boat and our nation, and in wishing him a safe and 
happy retirement.

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