August 13, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 145 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page S5411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 681--RECOGNIZING THE CHINESE RAILROAD WORKERS WHO 
   WORKED ON THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD FROM 1865 TO 1869 AND THE 
IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF THOSE RAILROAD WORKERS TO THE GROWTH OF THE 
                             UNITED STATES

  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 681

       Whereas the Transcontinental Railroad was 1 of the most 
     remarkable engineering feats of the 19th century;
       Whereas construction of the nearly 2,000-mile 
     Transcontinental Railroad spanned 6 years;
       Whereas the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad 
     facilitated commerce and reduced cross-country travel time 
     from 6 months to 1 week;
       Whereas nearly 12,000 Chinese immigrants (referred to in 
     this preamble as the ``Chinese railroad workers'') were 
     employed in the construction of the Transcontinental 
     Railroad, constituting more than 80 percent of the workforce 
     of the Central Pacific Railroad Company;
       Whereas the Chinese railroad workers were--
       (1) considered indispensable by the foremen on the project; 
     and
       (2) respected for their work ethic and discipline;
       Whereas the Chinese railroad workers set a world record by 
     laying 10 miles of railroad track in just 1 work day;
       Whereas the Chinese railroad workers were--
       (1) given the most difficult and dangerous jobs; and
       (2) paid lower wages than other railroad workers;
       Whereas nearly 1,200 Chinese railroad workers died from 
     work accidents, avalanches, and explosions while working in 
     the Sierra Nevada Mountains;
       Whereas, in honor of the courage shown by the Chinese 
     railroad workers in organizing for fair wages and safe 
     working conditions, the Department of Labor inducted the 
     Chinese railroad workers into the Labor Hall of Honor in 
     2014;
       Whereas the fight of the Chinese railroad workers against 
     discrimination set an example for millions of Asian Americans 
     who later came to the United States;
       Whereas the descendants of the Chinese railroad workers and 
     the wider Asian-American community view the sacrifices of the 
     Chinese railroad workers as integral to the creation of the 
     vibrant and growing Asian-American community that exists 
     throughout the United States; and
       Whereas the legacy of the Chinese railroad workers 
     continues to have a profound and positive impact on life in 
     the United States by advancing the ideals of equal 
     opportunity and the dignity of work for everyone: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes--
       (A) the Chinese immigrants who worked on the 
     Transcontinental Railroad from 1865 to 1869 (referred to in 
     this resolving clause as the ``Chinese railroad workers''); 
     and
       (B) the contributions of the Chinese railroad workers to 
     the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad and the 
     growth of the United States;
       (2) honors the Chinese railroad workers who lost their 
     lives working in the Sierra Nevada Mountains; and
       (3) acknowledges all of the risks faced by the Chinese 
     railroad workers in completing the construction of the 
     Transcontinental Railroad while enduring discrimination and 
     unequal pay and treatment.

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