[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10981-10982]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING RICHARD MICHALSKI

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TIM RYAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, July 8, 2013

  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
extraordinary career of my friend Richard P. Michalski. After over four 
decades of loyal and dedicated service, Mr. Michalski has retired from 
his position as General Vice President of the International Association 
of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
   Mr. Michalski is an example of an American success story. He began 
his long time association with IAM in 1968 as member of the IAM Local 
Lodge 1916 while working as a welder with General Electric in 
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He climbed the ranks and moved up to Local Lodge 
President.
   Rich Michalski has dedicated his life to promoting workers as he 
served in various positions with the IAM. In 1992, he became IAM's 
Director of Legislative and Political Action Department. It was in this 
position that he served

[[Page 10982]]

as a champion of the rights of working men and women by advocating for 
their concerns with Members of Congress and relentlessly pursuing their 
interests in Congress.
   Mr. Michalski became a member of IAM's Executive Board in 2006 where 
he served as the General Vice President and continued to fight for the 
advancement of workers across the United States.
   I want to extend my warmest and most sincere thanks to Rich for his 
lifelong devotion to American Labor. Thank you for your friendship and 
your counsel. Truly the great cause of our time is to help protect the 
American Dream for working men and women who built this nation. I am 
proud to have joined with Rich in the cause. Rich's long and 
illustrious career from humble beginnings as a welder to the leadership 
of one of the world's great unions will not be forgotten and I 
congratulate him and wish him all the best in his well-deserved 
retirement.

                          ____________________