[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3750]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO GEORGE BECKER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 15, 2006

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker I rise today to honor George Becker, a 
great union leader, great American, and President Emeritus of the 
United Steelworkers (USW). Not only has George been a dear friend of 
mine, but to working men and women everywhere. They owe him a debt of 
gratitude for the years of service he has given not only to the labor 
movement, but to his country.
  Retirement as the USW's International Union President in 2001 did not 
change his goals nor dim his vision and resolve. He continued his 
advocacy during his service on the U.S. Trade Deficit Review 
Commission. He is still fighting in his capacity as Commissioner on the 
U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission to give a voice to 
the concerns of workers in the industries affected by our exploding 
trade deficit with China.
  I am sure my colleagues on the Congressional Steel Caucus will join 
me in expressing our good fortune to have worked in close association 
with a man who warned us years ahead of time that the American steel 
industry was on the brink of collapse after the Asian financial crisis 
in 1998. It was George Becker's persistence and foresight that created 
the joint union-industry alliance ``Stand Up for Steel'' that fought 
for fair steel trade policies before Congress and two Administrations 
to bring the relief necessary for the U.S. steel industry to 
restructure and consolidate.
  I remember standing with USW President Becker among hundreds of 
steelworkers on Capitol Hill who helped win passage of H.R. 975 in the 
Spring of 1999, a bill I sponsored titled the `Stop Illegal Steel Trade 
Act' to impose a freeze on steel imports. The U.S. House of 
Representatives passed it 289 to 141, but the measure was subsequently 
defeated in the Senate on a procedural vote.
  But the determined President Becker didn't stop fighting to save 
American steelworkers' jobs and the industry. He supported H.R. 808, 
the Steel Revitalization Act of 2001, to require a five year rollback 
of steel imports to pre-crisis levels, while providing assistance for 
retiree health care costs and establishing a $10 billion loan fund to 
finance steel industry modernization.
  The Steelworkers Union president didn't stop at the legislative door 
of Congress, leading a national union-industry petition under the U.S. 
Foreign Trade Act to implement a Section 201 tariff on all steel 
imports that included a public hearing in my Congressional District of 
Northwest Indiana by the International Trade Commission. The ITC's 
investigation demonstrated the need for steel tariffs and President 
Bush implemented relief in 2002.
  George Becker, a second-generation steelworker, rose through the 
ranks to become the sixth international president of the United 
Steelworkers (USW). He served seven years as the union's international 
president, elected in 1993 and 1997. He also was chair of the Labor 
Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy for the U.S. 
Department of Labor; during the Clinton Administration, he served on 
the President's Export Council and the U.S. Trade & Environmental 
Policy Advisory Committee.
  He is a respected union organizer and strategist, and an 
internationally-known spokesman for industrial safety, workers' rights 
on the job and fair global trade.
  Among his major accomplishments are:
  Mergers with the United Rubber Workers (URW) in 1995, and the 
Aluminum, Brick and Glass Workers (ABG) in 1997, bringing 140,000 new 
members to the USW.
  Launching the union's pioneering national Rapid Response Network to 
mobilize members and their local unions to personally contact their 
members of Congress and state legislatures with handwritten letters on 
bread & butter issues.
  Establishing a USW Legislative Leadership Program in Washington, 
D.C., which provides member-activists with training in lobbying and 
political action.
  On February 28, 2001, George Becker joined the ranks of one of the 
Labor Movement's more formidable legacies. He became only the sixth 
past President of the United Steelworkers.
  Born within a few yards of the Granite City Steel Mill in Illinois 
where he went to work at age 15, he lived and loved the life of a 
steelworker from his first day in an open hearth labor gang to the last 
day he served as International President.
  His service to his country included a stint in the U.S. Marines 
toward the end of World War II and again during the Korean War, when he 
was drafted into the U.S. Army, owing to a critical shortage of light 
weapons infantry leaders.
  USW President Becker is enjoying his 55th wedding anniversary this 
year with his wife Jane that began when he met her in the Ozarks of 
Missouri. They have three married sons and 14 grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues 
join me in commending George Becker for his outstanding contributions 
to his union and his country. His commitment to improving the quality 
of life for working people everywhere is unparalleled, and he should be 
recognized and commended.

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