[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 121 (Friday, September 5, 2003)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1713] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO SAM T. HART ______ HON. SANDER M. LEVIN of michigan in the house of representatives Thursday, September 4, 2003 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding leader in Michigan's labor community on the occasion of his retirement after over 30 years of service. Sam Hart, Business Manager, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 324, is an operating engineer through and through. Starting as a pipe liner in Michigan, he rose through the ranks to distinguish himself within the state and the nation as a thoughtful and effective labor leader. Mr. Hart was initiated in the International Union of Operating Engineers in 1959. He was appointed the Business Representative for Local 324 in 1971 and was first elected to the Executive Board in 1977. His leadership in organizing members in the Operating Engineers and on issues of health care and retirement security, so vital to the working men and women he represents, catapulted him to the highest tier of leadership and gained the local union a reputation throughout the state and nation. Local 324 is considered one of the strongest local unions in Michigan, with the largest percentage of its workers organized throughout the skilled trades. Local 324 is consistently listed as one of the top 25 locals in the State. Sam Hart's good work has called him into numerous positions of service. He was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the North and Central States Conference in 1990, the largest conference of operating engineers in the United States. He served on the negotiating Committee for the National Pipe Line Agreement for the entire U.S. and Canada. He served as President of the Michigan State Building Trades and on the Detroit AFL-CIO Executive Board. He was elected as a General Vice President to the International Union of Operating Engineers beginning in 1994 and was appointed Chairman of the General Pension in 2000. I have been honored to know Sam Hart as a friend over so many of these years. What friends say about Sam Hart is probably most telling about the man whose career will be honored on Saturday, September 6, 2003. He is ``thoughtful,'' ``level-headed,'' ``decent,'' a ``gentleman'' and a ``family man to the core.'' I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the work of Sam Hart and to wish him, his wife, Darlene, and their entire family health and happiness in the years ahead. ____________________