[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 266 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 266

  Recognizing the contributions of John Sweeney to the United States 
                            labor movement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 15, 2009

Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Harkin, Mr. 
Kerry, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Klobuchar, 
Mr. Casey, Mr. Franken, Mr. Brown, Mr. Reed, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Murray, 
  Mr. Merkley, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Levin, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Begich, Mr. 
  Lieberman, Mrs. Boxer, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Akaka, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. 
Kaufman, Mr. Webb, and Mr. Tester) submitted the following resolution; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the contributions of John Sweeney to the United States 
                            labor movement.

Whereas John Sweeney was born in the Bronx, New York, to hard-working Irish 
        immigrant parents, who instilled in him a sense of faith, a commitment 
        to justice, and a love for the United States and its infinite potential 
        to provide opportunity to all people;
Whereas John Sweeney was raised by his father, a bus driver, and his mother, a 
        domestic worker, who both worked hard to allow him to attend St. 
        Joseph's School, Cardinal Hayes High School, and Iona College, where he 
        worked as a porter and a grave digger to help pay for his tuition;
Whereas because of his upbringing and his experiences growing up, John Sweeney 
        gave up a high-paying career to dedicate his life to helping the labor 
        movement and improving the lives of millions of working families across 
        the United States;
Whereas John Sweeney's career in the labor movement has taken him from working 
        on behalf of the factory workers of the International Ladies' Garment 
        Workers' Union (ILGWU) and the doormen and cleaning women of the Service 
        Employees International Union (SEIU) to being elected, in October 1995, 
        to serve as the president of the American Federation of Labor and 
        Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO);
Whereas John Sweeney transformed labor organization and engaged the people of 
        the United States on economic justice issues through methods such as the 
        innovative ``Justice for Janitors'' campaign, while also nearly doubling 
        the membership of the SEIU during his time as its president, making it 
        the first union to reach 1,000,000 members;
Whereas John Sweeney led efforts at SEIU that resulted in landmark equal wage 
        rulings for female building employees and launched an organization drive 
        that gave nearly 20,000 home care employees a voice in improving their 
        own income and working conditions;
Whereas John Sweeney has served as a transformational figure for millions of 
        working individuals in the United States, and as president of the AFL-
        CIO, he has worked to revitalize and modernize the role of labor unions, 
        train a new generation of organizers, promote diversity in union 
        leadership, and make unions a driving force for social justice;
Whereas under John Sweeney's leadership, the National Labor College has become a 
        first-rate institute of higher learning, providing an unparalleled 
        opportunity for advancement to countless workers in the United States;
Whereas John Sweeney has fought on multiple fronts for legislation that advances 
        justice, opportunity, and fairness for workers and their families, 
        including legislation for a fair minimum wage, increased family leave, 
        and improved worker health and safety rules;
Whereas because of his mother's experiences as a domestic worker, John Sweeney 
        has personally dedicated himself to working on a Domestic Workers Bill 
        of Rights for the State of New York;
Whereas John Sweeney has championed the effort to provide high-quality health 
        care that is affordable and available to everyone in the United States; 
        and
Whereas John Sweeney, as an author, father, grandfather, organizer, and 
        inveterate advocate for the voiceless, continues to inspire a new 
        generation of labor leaders: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the contributions that John Sweeney has made 
        to the labor movement and to the lives of working men and women 
        across the United States;
            (2) congratulates John Sweeney on his decades of 
        extraordinary and dedicated service; and
            (3) honors John Sweeney for his commitment to economic and 
        social justice and his tireless advocacy on behalf of the 
        working families of this Nation.
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