Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a piece of legislation of which I am a proud co-sponsor. Importantly, this bill protects workers' rights to unionize, holds employers accountable for violating workers' rights, and ensures unions can have free, fair, and safe elections. By empowering workers to exercise their rights to organize, workers will be given the power to override ``right-to-work'' laws that prevent unions from collecting dues from the workers they represent. It is significant to me that this body is coming together to pass this legislation on the same day as Mr. Joseph ``Joe'' Girolamo's 100th birthday. Mr. Girolamo of Livonia, Michigan is a veteran of World War II and the son of Italians, family he had a chance to visit while serving overseas. In a recent interview with Hometown Life, Mr. Girolamo shared that after returning home he moved to Livonia with his late wife Lillian. They met playing music and settled down in 1953. Mr. Girolamo worked at the River Rouge complex in Dearborn. He witnessed workers being treated unfairly and became a union man, and spent years advocating for workers' rights. His daughter Joyce Hermann shared with Hometown Life, ``So, there were actually thugs and goons running the place. It was a difficult situation until the union came in. He made sure everything was done by the book and his workers weren't doing anything unsafe.…”