[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 82 (Thursday, June 6, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5933-S5934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE L. WESSEL

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to George L. 
Wessel, a friend and associate, who is stepping down as president of 
the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council after 27 years as Erie County's foremost 
labor leader representing more than 100,000 workers in more than 200 
labor locals. Though he will continue to stay active in the community, 
he will now be fortunate enough to spend more time with his wife of 49 
years, Mary; his daughter, Mary Catherine; and his three grandchildren, 
Joseph, Mary Anna, and Catherine Victoria. I thank him for his good 
work and wish him the best of luck in the future.
  George Wessel's career involvement with the labor movement began when 
he returned home from serving his country in the U.S. Navy during World 
War II. He worked for Remington Rand, joined the Printing Pressmen's

[[Page S5934]]

Union, and eventually became a journeyman printer. From that position, 
he advanced to become a chief steward in the plant and a member of the 
Local 27 executive board. His fellow workers noticed his dedication to 
the cause of organized labor, and in January 1961, they elected George 
as secretary-treasurer of the local which represented all print shops 
in western New York. In this post, he again served with distinction 
until January 1, 1969, when he was elected to succeed Judge James L. 
Kane as president of the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council.
  As President, George Wessel has enjoyed great popularity as a leader 
of labor and as a leader in civic life. Elected to nine 3-year terms as 
president of the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council, George has been a tremendous 
influence on the labor movement in the past quarter century. In the 
early 1980's, the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council was in the forefront of 
efforts to organize Solidarity Day in Washington, DC. Since then, 
thousands of union activists have converged at the Nation's Capital 
each year to call attention to issues affecting working men and women. 
George has also overseen council activities, negotiated with business 
leaders, mobilized affiliated locals for public demonstrations, and 
been the official spokesman for organized labor in Erie County. He also 
started the grand tradition of the Labor Day parade through the streets 
of Buffalo. It was several times my honor to march through the streets 
with George during the parade, and I was always the better for having 
done so.
  George Wessel has also been a sterling member of the community as he 
has constantly worked to improve the physical, social, and cultural 
environment of Buffalo. Whether as a member of the United Way, or as a 
member of the labor advisory board at Cornell University, George Wessel 
has strived to make Buffalo a better place to live and work.
  Though labor has faced many setbacks in western New York and 
throughout much of the country in recent years, George Wessel has 
fought to stem that tide. Due to his great efforts, organized labor 
still remains at the forefront of commercial activity and is a much 
respected movement in the Buffalo community.
  We shall all be sorry to see George step down as president of the 
council, but organized labor will still remain a force in Erie County. 
Like the Workers Memorial in Chestnut Ridge, this is a testament to 
George Wessel's half century of involvement with the union movement in 
Buffalo.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, parliamentary inquiry. Are we operating 
as if we were in morning business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Yes, with a time limit of 10 minutes per 
speaker.

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