Political Quotes

“When you come in to Bremerton, Washington, on the ferry, you see one of my favorite sights. It is Building 460 of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and it says on the side of the building: ``Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Building on a Proud Tradition.'' Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is far and away the largest employer in the region I represent, and these are men and women who take great pride in their work and have done so for over 125 years. They are also critical to the success of our Navy's national security mission, but too often in this town, they don't get the respect they deserve. That is why my guest this evening is Bruce Baillie with the Bremerton Building and Metal Trades Council. Bruce is a local leader for our shipyard workers, and I want to make sure that this new administration understands how important this workforce is to our country. These are not just talented professionals. They have been amazing partners in putting together an action agenda for shipyard workers that we introduced last week: exempting our shipyard workers from the hiring freeze which is critical to our Nation's security, making sure that retired servicemembers--our veterans--are able to secure jobs in our Defense Department, and halting policies that lower the compensation of defense workers--changes in per diem and overtime policies that affect their take-home pay.…”