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.
“IN MEMORY OF MEL OLSSON” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1527-E1528 on Dec. 3, 2019.
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:
IN MEMORY OF MEL OLSSON
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HON. JOE COURTNEY
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to observe and mourn the passing one of Southeastern Connecticut's most accomplished and revered citizens, Mr. Melvin E. Olsson. Mel, as he was known to all, grew up in that region's historic city, New London, attended public school there, and upon graduation, immediately enlisted in the Connecticut National Guard where he served from 1959 until 1967. He also became part of the workforce at our nation's premiere submarine shipyard Electric Boat, where he was hired as a pipefitter embarking on a 47-year career, building and designing the world's most capable submarines. After his start as a metal tradesman, he migrated to the design workforce, which was responsible for the flawless conception, execution, and production of the Los Angeles, Seawolf, Ohio, and Virginia class submarines that have made America's ``silent service'' such an effective deterrent in keeping the peace for the last 75 years.
Mel was a strong advocate for Electric Boat's unionized workers, and over time he emerged as the president of the Marine Draftsman's/UAW Local 571 which represents all the drafting professionals and designers. For thirteen years Mel held that position and successfully negotiated contracts in tandem with his brothers and sisters in the Metal Trades Council to ensure their skilled work was adequately compensated with good salaries and benefits. In the early 2000s, Mel was presiding at a time of great change at the shipyard which went from a workforce of around 30,000 down to just 8,500 in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union. Mel worked tirelessly to assist the people he represented, making sure they were given transitional help as downsizing occurred. All the while, he continued to advocate for the Navy's investment in a new class of Seawolf and Virginia submarines, which in hindsight we now know kept that shipyard alive.
Madam Speaker, as the Congressman from Eastern Connecticut I had the honor to work with Mel in the shipyard's efforts to keep the unique, irreplaceable skills that made Southeastern Connecticut ``The Submarine Capitol of the World.'' When I was elected to Congress in 2006, and was selected to serve on the Seapower Subcommittee on the House Armed Services Committee, we immediately began a push to boost submarine production, building a coalition of the UAW, the Metal Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, and industry to ``plus up'' the 2008 shipbuilding budget. By the Fall of 2007 we defied conventional wisdom that a freshman member would never pull that off, when $588 million was added to the defense budget, igniting a new era of hiring in Groton. Mel's support and advice did not end there. He always made himself available, with good advice and a ready smile, if I had a question or challenge to face. I will always treasure his friendship.
Madam Speaker, when Mel stepped down from his union office in the 2000s, after 47 years of work at the yard, I think most would agree he had earned a quiet, easy retirement. However, as many noted, Mel's
``retirement'' marked the beginning of a second career when he threw himself into the region's Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board (EWIB), the job training platform designated by the federal Workforce Investment Act, to shape education and apprenticeship programs to meet the region's local economy. Mel was perfect for this role. While at Electric Boat, he was always pushing for the shipyard to connect young people to the specialized work that went on there, and he fostered a mentorship program for high schoolers that still operates today. At EWIB, he saw that the need to recapitalize the submarine force was going to cause a new hiring spree that the tech schools, community colleges and apprenticeship programs needed to adjust to--
fast. With his help, EWIB's innovative Manufacturing Pipeline Program received $6 million from the U.S. Department of Labor in 2014, establishing an accelerated ``pre-apprenticeship'' program. The program far outperformed Labor's targets and has become a national model used all over Connecticut and the U.S. to generate new job-ready workers. Back home the pipeline has enabled Electric Boat to regrow to a workforce that reached 17,000 this year. Electric Boat also restarted its own apprenticeship program that Mel had been pressing for years. It is showing impressive results, with a new generation of diverse talent--more women and minorities in particular--who are embarking on not just jobs, but careers. For Mel, this type of work, which was done in collaboration with Electric Boat's unions and management, was the essence of the value of collective bargaining. Seeing a person's life transformed because of the pipeline or an apprenticeship was, in my experience knowing Mel, what truly animated him and made him happy. It also demonstrated to me what a caring person he was, particularly when it came to helping young people.
What also made Mel very happy was his beautiful family. He shared 54 years of marital bliss with his wife Dorothy DeGroot Olsson. Together, they have a daughter, Alyssa A. Olsson Gaus, and two grandsons, Kyle Chase Olsson, and Gavin Olsson Gaus. Mel was also close with his brother Karl and his wife Glenda of Niantic. Despite all of his time-
consuming work in the region, his family always came first. Madam Speaker, Mel is truly an example of ``a life well lived.'' His funeral service in New London where he was born was packed with family, co-
workers, and friends who shared a deep awareness of what a special person he was. Please join me in expressing our deepest condolences to Mel's family for their loss and our highest respect and regards for his inspiring legacy.
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