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




                         TRIBUTE TO GEORGE NEE

  Mr. REED. Madam President, I rise today to congratulate George Nee, 
president of the AFL-CIO of Rhode Island, on his upcoming retirement 
and to thank him for his years of service and unwavering dedication to 
improving the lives of working people.
  For George, organized labor serves as the ``People's Lobbyist,'' 
ensuring that the concerns of working people are given due 
consideration when critical decisions are made. In his retirement 
letter, he wrote that ``organized labor has a right and a 
responsibility to exercise our voice when and where decisions are made 
at every level of government. These decisions impact the quality of 
life and economy of our state, and we must be there.''
  His leadership--tenacious but pragmatic and always with decency and 
integrity--has contributed to the vibrancy of the union movement in 
Rhode Island, making it one of the States with the highest percentage 
of union workers in the Nation.
  From the beginning, George acted on the belief that working people 
have a right to have a voice, no matter if they are working in the 
fields, on the factory floors, in offices, in healthcare facilities, in 
schools, or on construction sites.
  As a young man, he left the comfort of Boston College to earn $5 
dollars per week, plus room and board, to join farmworkers in 
organizing successful grape and lettuce boycotts. He was inspired by 
Cesar Chavez, and joined him on a pilgrimage across the farmlands of 
California, serving as his personal bodyguard.
  Rhode Island called him back. In 1976, he organized jewelry workers, 
clerical workers, and healthcare workers and founded SEIU Local 76, 
where he served as president until he joined the Rhode Island AFL-CIO 
in 1983 as a staff representative. George quickly rose through the 
ranks at the Rhode Island AFL-CIO. By 1985, he was elected secretary-
treasurer and, in 2009, president--a role that he will step down from 
on October 11.
  George's strong moral compass and steady leadership has been a beacon 
for public servants and community leaders across the State. He has been 
a mentor and a trusted adviser to me and to so many others who share 
his goals of a just and prosperous Nation where workers' rights are 
always protected.
  In a 2018 interview with Rhode Island Public Radio's Scott MacKay, 
George said: ``We have a solemn obligation to the people who came 
before us to fight back and protect these rights for future 
generations.''
  As he begins his next chapter, George can rest assured that he 
fulfilled that solemn promise and has equipped a new generation for the 
battles and the challenges ahead. Rhode Island is a stronger State, and 
we are a better Nation because of George Nee's leadership.
  I thank him and his wonderful family, especially his beloved wife 
Ann, for their great friendship and kindness over many years and for 
their great inspiration. George always reminded us, by his actions, 
that hard work for a just cause was the greatest and most satisfying 
contribution that we can make.
  I wish George a happy and healthy retirement. He has earned it.

                          ____________________