[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 7, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S3950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN MEMORY OF MSGR. GEORGE HIGGINS, AMERICA'S ``LABOR PRIEST''

 Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, when I learned of the death of 
Msgr. George G. Higgins, I was saddened to lose a friend and one of the 
most passionate workers' advocates of our time.
  For half a century, Msgr. Higgins was the workers' priest. He was a 
leading advocate of workers rights, but his interests went beyond labor 
to issues of justice and peace, human and civil rights, discrimination. 
Through his writings and teachings, he helped show the connections 
between these vital issues and his deep faith.
  He left his mark on the lives of America's workers through his roles 
as writer, lecturer, lobbyist, negotiator, and leader. It is said that 
Msgr. Higgins never turned down an invitation to a labor meeting if he 
was able to be there. He was no stranger to picket lines, stopping by 
to lend an inspirational word to workers and to show his support.
  Msgr. Higgins played a central role in the negotiations between grape 
growers and the newly unionized farm workers in the early 1970s. United 
Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez said in 1980 that no one in the 
country did more for farm workers than Msgr. Higgins.
  He played a key role as a liaison between the independent Polish 
labor union Solidarity and American unions at a time when Solidarity 
was struggling for its very survival in the early 1980s.
  In 2000, President Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, for his commitment to 
workers' rights, civil rights and religious tolerance. Last year, he 
was conferred the University of Notre Dame's prestigious Laetare Medal.
  Msgr. Higgins believed that unions are central to democracy and the 
improvement of the plight of workers. He insisted that Catholic 
institutions welcome unionization and negotiate in good faith with 
their employees.
  AFL-CIO President John F. Sweeney said of Msgr. Higgins that, ``He 
has been an irresistible force in bringing labor and church together. . 
. . We respect him for his strength, we revere him for his conscience, 
we stand in awe of his intellect and we thank him for his love.''
  My thoughts and wishes are with his sisters, Bridget Doonan and Ann 
Maronic, as well as his nephews, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces. 
We will miss America's Labor Priest. As we continue to fight for 
America's workers, for justice and for peace, his memory will be with 
us--and with all workers around the globe.

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