[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 150 (Wednesday, September 25, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6426-S6427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING J. MICHAEL DOWNEY

  Mr. REED. Madam President, I rise today to honor the life of one of 
Rhode Island's great champions for working people, J. Michael Downey, 
president of Rhode Island Council 94 of the American Federation of 
State, County, and Municipal Employees.
  Mike was known as a family man, an organizer, a tough negotiator, and 
a fierce protector of his members' wages, working conditions, and 
benefits. He was a loving husband to his wife of nearly 50 years, 
Claudette, a devoted father to his three children, and a doting 
grandfather to his nine grandchildren. He was also a beloved brother to 
his brothers and sisters in the union movement.
  Mike came from a family of union organizers. His father was the 
president of Local 28, the Plumber's Union and executive director of 
the Allied Building Trades. His grandfather was president of the 
Bricklayer's Union, Local 1. Mike was a master plumber and practiced 
his trade at the University of Rhode Island for 27 years, during which 
he also served as the president of Local 528.
  He later brought his expertise to the Rhode Island Department of 
Labor and Training, where he served as the chief plumbing investigator. 
In 2005, Mike was first elected president of Council 94, and he was re-
elected five times. He also served on the executive board of the Rhode 
Island AFL-CIO and the Institute of Labor Studies. Under his 
leadership, Council 94 increased member participation, expanded and 
enhanced its political activities, and prioritized organizing, adding 
new locals.
  Just days before his passing, Mike helped negotiate a new 3-year 
contract with the State that boosted wages and enhanced benefits. The 
contract was overwhelmingly approved by the rank-and-file members--a 
final addition to his long list of accomplishments as a union leader.
  Mike was known for his kindness and compassion. He is remembered for 
his

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special passion for supporting the lowest paid members of the union. He 
believed in the dignity of work and creating pathways for all workers 
to advance. He embodied the spirit of solidarity.
  We will miss him and will strive to live by his example.

                          ____________________