[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 73 (Monday, May 1, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1430-S1431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Tribute to Terry O'Sullivan

  Madam President, now, on a dear friend, Terry O'Sullivan. Today, it 
brings me immense joy, gratitude, and a little sadness to pay tribute 
to a giant of American labor, a hero of working families, and a leader 
who truly stands in a category all his own: Terry O'Sullivan, who, 
Friday, retired as general president of the Laborers' International 
Union, or LIUNA, after more than two decades. Over the years, Terry has 
become one of the dearest friends I have had in Washington.

  There would be no expansive middle class in America without the labor 
movement, and the labor movement would not be the same today without 
Terry O'Sullivan and LIUNA. The proud members of LIUNA helped build our 
roads, our bridges, and tunnels and office buildings and housing. Under 
Terry's leadership, LIUNA has become the Laborers' Union, as it is 
fondly known, has become one of the most impactful unions of the 21st 
century. It was under Terry's watch that LIUNA workers helped clean up 
the wreckage of ground zero after 9/11. Under his watch, LIUNA built 
its first-ever high school for students to enter construction work. And 
it was LIUNA that organized the immigrants and supported comprehensive 
immigration reform. So, unsurprisingly, anyone who knows Terry knows 
his loyalty lies in one place and in one place alone: the working 
families of LIUNA and of Americans in general.
  And I know this personally: My cousin Abe Weinshall, who was a proud 
member of Local 79, the Hod Carriers, in New York, and they treated him 
so, so well, even when he had a severe illness, because the healthcare 
that the laborers were able to get was topnotch.
  Terry's loyalty to the working people has been very long. It is a 
loyalty that first drew breath in the early years of his childhood, 
having been raised in a union household as the son of LIUNA secretary 
treasurer Terrence O'Sullivan.
  At 11, Terry attended his first LIUNA convention. He started early. 
And from there on, there was no turning back. He became a proud card-
carrying member for life. After becoming LIUNA general president in 
2000, Terry spent the next two decades growing, modernizing, and 
expanding LIUNA into one of the greatest advocates for working 
Americans in this century. In the face of radical wealth polarization, 
Terry won better wages, better benefits, and greater say about working 
conditions for his union members of LIUNA and for his fellow Americans.
  I have known Terry a very long time. Terry first stood out to me 
because even at the most formal events in Washington, I noticed that 
Terry never wore a tie. We joke about that. But over the years, Terry 
has become a confidant, a brother, and someone I have turned to for 
advice and guidance again and again over the years. Some of my most 
enjoyable evenings in Washington were dinners with Terry and Yvette--
his wife--and with a good glass of wine.
  To listen to Terry speak is to hear a man on fire with love for his 
country and with love for the working families of America. To watch 
Terry work is to see someone singularly dedicated to his mission. And 
he is someone equally at ease in the boardroom, the labor rally, and 
the construction site. He doesn't miss a beat going from one to the 
other.
  And, of course, Terry is famous for his candid style and no-nonsense 
attitude. He is from California. I am from Brooklyn. But we share that 
direct speaking way. If you cross Terry's path or the path of working 
families, you will quickly find out you made a powerful adversary. But 
if you win Terry's heart, you will discover you found a lifelong 
friend, as I have discovered.
  Of course, Terry's legacy is not just felt in America but around the 
world. He is a proud supporter of a united Ireland and of Irish 
workers. Terry and I have worked together on so many Irish issues, and 
we have agreed to continue working together in the years ahead.
  So, for me, this is not really a good-bye. Terry and I will stay good 
friends, working on the causes we believe in,

[[Page S1431]]

and hopefully having some nice dinners at his and Yvette's home on the 
Eastern Shore.
  The work Terry began will certainly continue. The fights he advanced 
shall go on. And as we celebrate Terry's well-earned retirement, we 
wish him and his family the very, very best on their next adventure.