[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21419]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   COMMEMORATING AND CONGRATULATING THE TEAMSTERS UNION ON ITS 100TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 5, 2003

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, it is more than appropriate on this Friday 
afternoon of Labor Day Week that we recognize the enduring relevance 
and enormous contributions of the Teamsters Union, which tomorrow--
September 6, 2003--celebrates its 100th Anniversary. It is an 
historical imperative that every American committed to justice and 
fairness must acknowledge.
  Allow me to congratulate General President James Hoffa and all the 
men and women of the Teamsters on this important occasion. For through 
their hard work, all of us have benefited.
  The 40-hour work week that we take for granted far too often in this 
nation was not a gift bestowed on us by corporate chieftains. It was a 
hard-won victory secured by the men and women in the organized labor 
movement, including the Teamsters Union, who literally built this 
nation through their blood, sweat and tears.
  Paid holidays, including the three-day Labor Day Weekend. Health and 
safety regulations. Employer-sponsored health care. And employer-
sponsored pensions. These are just a few of the monumental benefits 
brought to you by the Teamsters and organized labor movement.
  Ever since its founding, the Teamsters have been at the forefront of 
the labor movement to improve the lives of working men and women and 
their families. The Teamsters fought for equal rights for all workers, 
regardless of race, creed or gender. The Teamsters fought for African-
Americans who sought jobs traditionally held by white men at the 
beginning of World War One. The Teamsters fought for a woman's right to 
equal pay before suffrage was popular.
  Today, the Teamsters Union--with 1.4 million members--continues to 
fight for working families, who simply want and deserve justice, 
dignity and opportunity. Only the uninformed would fail to recognize 
that many of the gains secured by the Teamsters over the past 100 years 
are at grave risk today--from the assault on the right of workers to 
collectively bargain, to attacks on overtime regulations, to the effort 
to gut compensatory time, to the failure to ensure that the minimum 
wage is fairly adjusted for inflation, and many more.
  It's clear that, despite the Teamsters' great achievements over the 
last century, and all the advances that this great union is responsible 
for, its efforts on behalf of working American families must go on. And 
I know that is precisely what the Teamsters--under the tremendous 
leadership of General President Hoffa--intend.
  Again, I congratulate President Hoffa and all Teamsters on this 100th 
Anniversary. Your efforts not only make us proud, they make us a better 
nation.