[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 103 (Monday, June 14, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF HARRY MELANDER

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                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 14, 2021

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the distinguished 
career of Harry Melander on the occasion of his retirement as President 
of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council. During his 
more than four decades of union leadership and public service, Harry 
has made a lasting impact through his work on behalf of Minnesota's 
working families. Additionally, Harry has represented the interests of 
Minnesotans through his service as a member of the Metropolitan 
Council, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Board, the St. Paul Port 
Authority Board, and the Washington County Planning Commission, among 
other community leadership roles.
  Harry began his career as a union carpenter in 1973 and quickly rose 
as a leader on behalf of his fellow labor brothers and sisters, 
becoming president the Carpenters Local 87 Union. Later he became a 
business representative for the St. Paul Building Trades Council, then 
executive secretary in 1997. Harry focused his work on building 
relationships throughout the community. Reaching out to elected 
officials, business and community leaders and developers, he cultivated 
relationships that are still present today, ultimately increasing the 
number of jobs for Building Trades union members.
  After becoming Executive Secretary of St. Paul Building Trades in 
2005, Harry was soon faced with the monumental challenge of navigating 
the industry through the economic collapse of 2008 when some crafts 
lost up to 70 percent of their work. But thanks in large part to 
Harry's advocacy and work to build partnerships with the Minnesota 
Congressional Delegation, state leaders and the City of Saint Paul, the 
industry was able to keep working on major public projects including 
the restoration of Saint Paul's Union Depot as the Twin Cities' 
multimodal transit hub and construction of the Green Line Light Rail 
Transit.
  Since Harry became the president of the Minnesota Building and 
Construction Trades Council in 2009, he has tirelessly promoted growth 
and advancement of affiliated unions, supported diversity and inclusion 
efforts in the construction industry, protected health and safety for 
all workers, and encouraged relationship building with employers, other 
labor organizations, and government officials. He has been a leader in 
the transformation toward clean energy jobs, and has navigated the 
council through the many challenges brought on in the past year by the 
COVID-19 pandemic and the civil unrest that enveloped the Twin Cities 
after the death of George Floyd.
  Throughout it all, Harry has been an unwavering voice for Minnesota's 
working families, and a dedicated public servant. It has been my great 
pleasure to work closely with Harry on many projects and priorities 
over the years, and I know I speak for many in the community of Saint 
Paul and the East Metro when l say that he has been a tremendous asset 
to the labor movement. Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring the 
outstanding career of one of our state's most effective leaders, Harry 
Melander.

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