[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 8073-8074] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO THE SAN MATEO COUNTY BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL ______ HON. ANNA G. ESHOO of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, May 7, 2008 Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the San Mateo County Building & Construction Trades Council and its contributions to San Mateo County with my friend Congresswoman Jackie Speier. On April 10, 1908, the San Mateo County Building & Construction Trades Council received its first charter from the California State Building Trades Council. Today it is comprised of 24 local construction unions and has a membership of over 16,000 of the highest skilled crafts women and men in the construction industry. They are plumbers, pipefitters, electricians, carpenters, roofers, ironworkers, cement masons, elevator constructors, heavy equipment operators (Operating Engineers), painters, truck drivers (Teamsters), lathers, sheet metal workers, plasterers, brick and tile layers, boilermakers, pile drivers, glaziers, carpet and soft tile layers, fIre sprinklerfitters, insulation and asbestos workers, laborers, hod carriers, sign painters, millwright workers, laborers, cabinetmakers, steamfitters, and hardwood floor layers. While their jobs may be different, what links them together is their dedication to perform with high skill and great pride. In 1908, San Mateo County was young and growing, and through the hard work of another generation, the county was shaped into what [[Page 8074]] it is today. The single biggest accomplishment was the construction of San Francisco International Airport and more recently, a new terminal at the airport. The mission of the San Mateo County Building & Construction Trades Council has always been to improve the quality of life for all construction workers, promote the value of highly skilled union crafts women and men, and to increase the union market share in the construction industry. The San Mateo County Building & Construction Trades Council has also understood the importance of not only developing a strong foundation of skilled crafts persons through apprenticeship programs, but also the need to reach out to developers, public agencies, and elected officials to explain why it makes good business sense to use union contractors and union workers. The San Mateo County Building & Construction Trades Council's active approach in voicing the need for construction workers to be paid decent wages with pension and health benefIts so they and their families can afford to live in the community illustrates its commitment to every single worker. Madam Speaker, we ask our colleagues to join us in honoring the San Mateo County Building & Construction Trades Council as it celebrates a century of building and serving San Mateo County. We salute Bill Nack, the council's business manager and every single member of the council. The work of generations has shaped and built San Mateo County as we know it today, and contributed to the building of our country as well. May the next century be marked by the excellence and achievements of the first 100 years of the Building and Construction Trades Council of San Mateo County. ____________________