[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17212]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING LOCAL 375 FOR ITS CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE 
              SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, ATTACK ON NEW YORK CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 8, 2003

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Civil Service 
Technical Guild, Local 375, for its work on behalf of the people of New 
York. In particular, I applaud the members for their continuing efforts 
to rebuild the City's infrastructure after the destruction caused by 
the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York City.
  The 6,800 member local, headed by President Claude Fort, has been a 
New York City mainstay for decades, building and maintaining vital 
components of the city's infrastructure. Since its inception in 1937, 
the local's engineers, architects, scientists, chemists, planners and 
other technical specialists have designed, constructed, and maintained 
the City's infrastructure of bridges, highways, subways, sewer and 
water systems, schools and libraries; they also enforce air, water, 
fire, and building codes.
  Hundreds of members are currently at work on a massive project to add 
a third water tunnel in the New York City area. The ``Third Water 
Tunnel Project'' is a system of sixty miles of underground aqueducts 
running through Westchester, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. 
When completed, the tunnel will increase water delivery for the City's 
eastern and southern areas, allow drainage and treatment of the two 
existing tunnels, and provide an alternate delivery water system in the 
event service is disrupted in either of the two existing tunnels.
  Since the September 11 attack, Local 375 members have worked on every 
aspect of restoring the City's vital systems to full service. They 
helped restore the Cortlandt Street Subway Station and lines that had 
been buried by debris and flooded by broken water mains after the 
collapse of the Twin Towers. Hundreds of tons of debris were removed 
from the tunnels while engineers ensured that the rescue and recovery 
work could proceed safely.
  Local 375 members worked arduously from the time they were dispatched 
to Ground Zero immediately following the September 11, 2001, attack. 
Dedicated professional and technical workers performed flawlessly in 
cleaning up the site in dangerous demolition operations. In addition to 
strategic planning for the job, they monitored air quality and tested 
for anthrax. They even assisted in recovery and rescue efforts, and 
conducted DNA testing for victim identification. Members inspected 
adjacent buildings to ensure that all fire protection systems were 
working.
  Few people outside of New York City know who is responsible for the 
life sustaining work that they do, but the fact is that without Local 
375, New York could not exist as a City. I commend the union's leaders 
and the entire membership, many of whom reside in my Congressional 
District, for their contributions to our City and for performing their 
difficult jobs in a manner above and beyond the call of duty.

                          ____________________