[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 22]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 30682]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN HONOR OF DECATUR TRADES & LABOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. PHIL HARE

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 8, 2009

  Mr. HARE. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the Decatur Trades and Labor 
Assembly on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. For over 5 decades, 
this Council of affiliated unions has improved the lives of working 
families in Decatur, Illinois and the regions that surround it.
  From day one, Decatur Trades and Labor made a positive impact on 
local residents. Its Council fought hard to organize the unorganized, 
giving more workers the opportunity to bargain collectively and access 
the American Dream. For those already under union contract, the Council 
was a fierce advocate for better wages, benefits, and working 
conditions. Each victory it achieved helped all workers, union or 
nonunion, affiliated or nonaffiliated. Decatur Trades and Labor 
recognized early on that a rising tide lifts all boats.
  The great work of Decatur Trades and Labor went far beyond the union 
bargaining table. It worked with groups like the NAACP to achieve 
racial justice. It promoted blood drives for the American Red Cross and 
food drives for the hungry. It registered people to vote. And it 
encouraged members to give what they could to local charities.
  Fifty years later, Decatur Trades and Labor remains a staple in the 
community. Everywhere you go, there are living testaments to the 
Council's great work. But it is a landmark downtown--the monument 
honoring fallen and injured workers--that sticks out most in my mind. 
Nearly every April, I travel to that monument for Workers Memorial Day. 
It is a towering reminder of our moral obligation to ensure workers 
return home safely to their families each and every night. We have 
Decatur Trades and Labor to thank for making it such a unique focal 
point of the city's downtown.
  On this golden anniversary, I thank Decatur Trades and Labor for 
making the city it calls home a better place to live. I look forward to 
seeing what more it can accomplish in the next 50 years.

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