On the recordJanuary 29, 2018
His name was Victor, although he went by Vic. He was the oldest of six on their very hard scrabble farm in rural South Dakota. One day, he came home from school, when he was just in the eighth grade, and he was met at the porch by his father, who told him, in his broken English, that he would have to quit school to save the family farm, denying him the education that he wanted so very badly because, you see, it was the winter of 1930 and the Great Depression had arrived. He lived a life of deprivation before and after, kicking around from job to job just to survive, just to keep from starving. World War II came. He volunteered, and afterwards, he became a truck driver and a teamster. The woman he would marry, Jean, had a high school education, no college. She became a telephone operator and a member of Communications Workers of America. Together, they worked very hard and they raised four children. They owned their own home. They had a wooden boat in the garage. They took annual modest vacations. They had healthcare coverage, and they helped each of their children attend college who wanted to. Then they had a secure retirement, and they owed it all to the strength of their unions. Mr. Speaker, one of their four children stands before you today. Thank you, Teamsters. Thank you, Communications Workers of America. Thank you, unions across America.
