IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 165 

Recognizing Chinese railroad workers who worked on the Transcontinental 

Railroad from 1865 to 1869, and their important contribution to the 

growth of the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2019 

Ms. MENG (for herself, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. 

CLARKE of New York, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CURTIS, Mr. GONZALEZ of 

Texas, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. LEE of 

California, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. PETERS, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. 

SAN NICOLAS, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. SOTO, Mr. SUOZZI, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. ZELDIN, Mr. MEEKS, and Mr. 

MCADAMS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing Chinese railroad workers who worked on the 

Transcontinental Railroad from 1865 to 1869, and their 

important contribution to the growth of the United 

States. 

Whereas the Transcontinental Railroad was one of the most 

remarkable engineering feats of the 19th century; 

Whereas the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad 

spanned 6 years and stretched for nearly 2,000 miles; 


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•HRES 165 IH 

Whereas the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad facilitated commerce and reduced cross-country travel times 

from 6 months to a single week after being completed; 

Whereas the 150th anniversary of the completion of the 

Transcontinental Railroad will take place on May 10, 

2019; 

Whereas nearly 12,000 Chinese immigrants were employed in 

the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, comprising more than 80 percent of the workforce of the 

Central Pacific Railroad Company; 

Whereas the Chinese railroad workers were considered indispensable by their foremen and were respected for their 

work ethic and discipline; 

Whereas the Chinese railroad workers set a world record by 

laying 10 miles of railroad track in just one work day; 

Whereas the Chinese railroad workers were given the most 

difficult, dangerous jobs and were paid lower wages than 

other railroad workers; 

Whereas nearly 1,200 Chinese railroad workers died from 

work accidents, avalanches, and explosions while working 

in the Sierra Nevada Mountains; 

Whereas, in 2014, the Department of Labor has inducted the 

Chinese railroad workers into the Labor Hall of Honor 

for their courage in organizing in pursuit of fair wages 

and safe working conditions; 

Whereas the Chinese railroad workers’ fight against discrimination set an example for the millions of Asian Americans who came to the United States after them; 

Whereas both the descendants of these workers and the wider 

Asian-American community view the sacrifices of the ChiVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:36 Feb 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR165.IH HR165

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•HRES 165 IH 

nese railroad workers as being integral to the creation of 

the vibrant and growing Asian-American community that 

exists throughout the country today; and 

Whereas the legacy of the Chinese railroad workers continues 

to have a profound, positive impact on the American way 

of life by advancing the ideals of equal opportunity and 

the dignity of work for everyone: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the Chinese railroad workers for 

3 their contributions to the construction of the Trans4 continental Railroad and the growth of the United 

5 States; 

6 (2) honors the Chinese railroad workers who 

7 lost their lives working in the Sierra Nevada Moun8 tains; and 

9 (3) acknowledges the Chinese railroad workers 

10 for all the risks they faced, while enduring discrimi11 nation and unequal pay and treatment, to complete 

12 the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. 

Æ 


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