[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 30, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING WILLIAM SAMUEL ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 30, 2024

  Ms DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with my deepest thanks and sincere 
appreciation that I rise today to recognize William Samuel, the 
Director of Government Affairs at the AFL-CIO, as family, friends, and 
colleagues gather to wish him well as he marks his retirement from a 
decades long career fighting on behalf of America's working families. 
Bill has been an extraordinary leader, advocate and friend. And, while 
I have no doubt that he will continue to stay engaged, the AFL-CIO and 
the labor movement will not be the same without him.
  A graduate of Oberlin College and the George Washington University 
Law Center, Bill knew early on that he wanted to focus his professional 
life on labor law. He began his career as a legislative representative 
for the National Treasury Employees Union and the American Federation 
of Government Employees, representing federal employees across a 
multitude of agencies.
  Bill went on to serve as the chief lobbyist at the United Mine 
Workers of America (UMWA). At the time, the UMWA had not found its 
voice and he helped to turn that around. For Bill, the fight to ensure 
safe working conditions, fair wages, and secure health and retirement 
benefits has always been a core value. It is his deep commitment to 
those values that have guided his career. That was perhaps most 
profoundly exemplified as Bill led the successful effort to pass 
federal legislation guaranteeing lifetime health benefits to hundreds 
of thousands of retired miners and their dependents. In doing so, he 
quite literally changed their lives.
  In 1995, Bill transitioned to federal service when he Joined the 
Clinton Administration, serving as associate deputy secretary of labor 
under Secretaries Robert Reich and Alexis Herman. In 2000, Bill became 
senior policy adviser to Vice President Al Gore, a role in which he was 
both a principal adviser on labor policy issues and liaison to 
organized labor. This professional diversion allowed him the 
opportunity to shape and implement policies that he had long advocated 
for.
  Following his federal service, Bill returned to the labor movement, 
joining the AFL-CIO where he served as the Director of Government 
Affairs for nearly twenty-five years. Made up of 55 affiliated unions 
and representing more than 12.5 million working Americans, it takes a 
unique combination of organization, insight, and leadership to work 
with such various entities to create a unified message and agenda. Bill 
has a unique talent for building consensus--a skill set which he has 
used throughout his career. Coordinating with each member union, 
engaging with leadership as well as rank and file, while also providing 
guidance and advocacy to Congressional Members and staff, Bill has 
built a distinguished reputation with all those who have had the 
opportunity to work with him. I, like many others, am so grateful to 
have benefited from his expertise and counsel. I thank him for that as 
well as his many years of friendship and support.
  In a professional career that has spanned more than six decades, Bill 
Samuel has left an indelible mark on the labor movement in America. 
Many of those whose lives have been improved by his work will never 
meet or know Bill. Throughout his career he has been a champion for 
working Americans, standing up time and time again to protect their 
rights to safe working conditions, fair and livable wages, as well as 
secure health and retirement benefits. Today, as he marks his 
retirement, I extend my heartfelt congratulations and deepest thanks to 
Bill for his outstanding service. My very best wishes to him, his wife, 
Tracy; and his children Jack and Lucy, for many more years of health 
and happiness as he begins this new life chapter.

                          ____________________