[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 97 (Wednesday, June 14, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S8304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                             LANE KIRKLAND

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Madam President, I rise today to salute my friend, Lane 
Kirkland, who yesterday announced that he would not seek reelection as 
president of the AFL-CIO. During his 16-year tenure as head of the AFL-
CIO and his 50 years of service to organized labor, Mr. Kirkland 
devoted himself to improving the lives and occupations of unionized 
workers. He accomplished this mission with skill and determination.
  An editorial in today's New York Post remarked:

       We've always hailed his stalwart commitment to liberal 
     anti-communism and his fealty to the concept of a global 
     network of genuinely free trade unions. It's safe to say, in 
     fact, that no one in the United States--apart from President 
     Reagan himself--did more to hasten the demise of the Soviet 
     empire than did Lane Kirkland.

  Lane Kirkland's presence at the helm of American labor will be sorely 
missed. As the New York Post concluded:

       His retirement marks the departure from the public arena of 
     a larger-than-life figure--an able, courageous and principled 
     individual whose shoes will be difficult to fill.

  I extend my thanks to Lane Kirkland for his dedication to working men 
and women, and I wish him the best of luck in the future.

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