Speech of Honorable Joe Courtney - Honoring Wayne Burgess Upon his Retirement

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, today I rise to thank and honor an advocate, employee, veteran, and community leader from my district, Mr. Wayne Burgess, upon his retirement. Wayne has been a fixture of the Groton community for nearly 50 years, as the longest serving Principal Officer of MDA-UAW Local 571, as the President of the Southeastern Connecticut Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and as a leader in countless other local service organizations.

His energy and commitment are boundless, as evidenced by his impressive accomplishments, beginning with his service in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Wayne served three deployments aboard the USS Taylor from 1967-1969 before returning home to work at Electric Boat, where he has remained involved ever since. At EB, he worked as a technical/test writer before being elected MDA-UAW Financial Secretary in 1988. In the years that followed, Wayne constantly saw new opportunities for EB and its employees. He began the EB School to Work program in the City of Groton that allows high school juniors the opportunity to work at EB during the summers.

Wayne also devotes his time to the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, serving on the Food Advisory Board for the Gemma E. Moran United Way Center in New London and serves as the volunteer Chairman of the Charter Oak Credit Union Supervisory Committee. He is a devoted advocate for labor, for good jobs, for opportunity, and for the hardworking members of our community.

Please join me in thanking Wayne Burgess for the monumental impact he has made on the Groton community, and wishing him a peaceful and productive retirement.

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