Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE CAREER AND SERVICE OF KEN DELACRUZ
______
HON. JOE COURTNEY
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the retirement of
Mr. Ken Delacruz, President of the Metal Trades Council at General
Dynamics Electric Boat, after 46 years of service as a shipbuilder and
a leader in our region.
In his time at the shipyard, Kenny has seen it all--he saw the boom
years of construction on the Los Angeles and Ohio Class submarines
early in his career as a welder, the lean post-Cold War years of
Seawolf and the uncertain start of Virginia class. In recent years,
he's led the workforce as the yard ramped up for steady rate
construction of the Virginia class program and the start of the
Columbia class submarine, an historic expansion in work and activity
that has surged hiring in the yard with a new generation of
shipbuilders.
Since 1991, Kenny has served as President of the Metals Trades
Council at Electric Boat, representing thousands of workers across the
waterfront trades. In that position Kenny has negotiated eight
collective bargaining agreements--the latest winning 85 percent
approval among members in 2019. Being a labor leader in a shipyard is a
tough job, but in his incredible 29 years as president Ken has earned
the respect of generations of his members, management, and elected
officials.
Kenny's permanent footprint on the yard will be felt in other ways as
well, most importantly with his focus on the future of the workforce.
In 2014, Ken was instrumental in helping to make the case to then-Labor
Secretary Tom Perez during his visit to Groton about the need for
federal investment in the manufacturing pipeline program to help new
tradesmen and women gain the skills and training they need to succeed.
After that visit, the eastern Connecticut workforce investment board
received a $6 million workforce innovation grant from the U.S.
Department of Labor that has resulted in hundreds of pre-apprenticeship
graduates acquiring entry level skills at EB. And, he led the effort
re-establish and re-invigorate the apprenticeship program to ensure
that the knowledge of our veteran skilled machinists and welders can be
handed down to the next generation.
On a personal note, for over twenty years, Kenny has always been a
good friend and confidante, who taught me a lot about his members,
their amazing talents and value to eastern Connecticut, navy
shipbuilding and our national defense.
As Kenny prepares for his well-deserved retirement, he can take pride
in knowing that the shipyard he joined in 1976 has a more solid
foundation and a brighter future thanks to his leadership and
commitment to his workforce and the nation's undersea priorities. He
has been a trusted ally, a committed partner and a friend to me and my
office. And most important, he's been a fearless advocate for the men
and women of the Metal Trades Council.
I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Kenny's 46 years of
service to Electric Boat and our nation, and in wishing him a safe and
happy retirement.
____________________