[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 89 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING AUGUSTIN TELLEZ ON RECEIVING SONS OF ITALY FOUNDATION 
                           HUMANITARIAN AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2023

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of my friend 
Augustin `Augie' Tellez, who is this year's recipient of the Sons of 
Italy Foundation's Humanitarian Award. From his leadership in organized 
labor to his pride in his Italian heritage, Augie truly deserves this 
honor--as well as the gratitude of many people across Maryland and 
America.
  Serving as the Executive Vice President of the Seafarers 
International Union (SIU) since 2005, Augie has been an important voice 
for mariners, boatmen, and fishermen across North America. He has a 
deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that people face 
in his industry. Augie's tenure with SIU began when he graduated from 
the Paul Hall Center's Lundeberg School of Seamanship down in Piney 
Point, Maryland, in 1975. After five years of serving the union in 
several posts across the country, he rose through the ranks to become 
port agent of SIU's headquarters port and later special assistant to 
the union's president. Trusting Augie's good judgement and inspiring 
leadership, the SIU executive board appointed him to serve as the 
union's vice president of contracts and contracts enforcement in 1991--
a position that union membership reelected him to the following year. 
He served in that role until 2005, overseeing all the union's 
collective bargaining efforts. From helping develop the SIU's training 
record book to overseeing contract implementation for the union, he has 
made invaluable contributions to the SIU and continues to do so as 
Executive Vice President. His work isn't limited to the SIU, however.
  Many government and industry leaders have sought out Augie's 
expertise and insight. He has served on the U.S. Transportation 
Command's Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement Executive Working 
Group (EWG) for over two decades, fostering closer cooperation between 
the federal government and his industry to ensure that the U.S. 
military has access to vital commercial shipping resources in the event 
of an emergency deployment. Similarly, between 2011 and 2022, Augie 
served on the U.S. Transportation Department's Marine Transportation 
National Advisory Council. As chair of the council's U.S. Maritime 
Workforce Working Group Subcommittee, he helped assess how the nation's 
mariner workforce could support the American merchant fleet during 
national emergencies. Indeed, the recent COVID-19 pandemic reminded us 
of the vital importance of maintaining strong supply chains, and Augie 
has played an important role in that effort.
  I've also been grateful for all that Augie has done for our community 
in Southern Maryland. He has served as a trustee for the Paul Hall 
Center and as chair of its advisory board for years. He was 
instrumental in securing key expansions to the school. That includes 
the Joseph Sacco Fire Fighting and Safety School, which provides 
maritime firefighting training, and a cutting-edge facility with a 
variety of simulators that help seafarers develop important 
shiphandling skills and learn industry procedures. Thanks in part to 
Augie's efforts, Paul Hall Center now offers more U.S. Coast Guard-
approved training courses than any other school in America, providing a 
first-rate education to its students and graduating some of the world's 
best merchant mariners year after year. We are so lucky to have this 
esteemed institution in Southern Maryland and to have leaders like 
Augie who help run it.
  It's been a pleasure to know Augie all these years. From preserving 
America's maritime traditions to protecting workers' rights, he 
continues to do crucial work on behalf of our state and Nation. I ask 
that my colleagues join me in congratulating Augie on this award and in 
thanking him for all that he has done for our country and its mariners.

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