The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“HONORING THE CAREER AND SERVICE OF KEN DELACRUZ” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E706 on July 30, 2020.
The Department provides billions in unemployment insurance, which peaked around 2011 though spending had declined before the pandemic. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, claimed the Department funds "ineffective and duplicative services" and overregulates the workplace.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE CAREER AND SERVICE OF KEN DELACRUZ
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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.
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