[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17052]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JERRY McENTEE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, in 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called 
the organized labor movement, ``the principal force that transformed 
misery and despair into hope and progress.''
  And for three decades, Jerry McEntee has been a leader in the quest 
for that progress.
  As president of the American Federation of State, County and 
Municipal Employees since 1981, Jerry McEntee has been a driving force 
in the fight for a better life for American workers.
  He has dedicated his union's resources to the struggle for greater 
economic and social justice for every man and woman in this Nation--
regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or 
disability.
  And he has literally given American workers a voice.
  AFSCME has played a role in every struggle to protect collective 
bargaining rights, equal pay, good benefits, secure retirement, public 
services and worker opportunity for the last 75 years. And for more 
than 50 of those years, Jerry has been part of the fight.
  At the helm of AFSCME, Jerry advocated for every piece of progressive 
legislation passed in the last three decades. The organization and 
dedication of Jerry and his 1.6 million brothers and sisters has been 
invaluable, whether we were raising the minimum wage or passing the 
Affordable Care Act.
  And Democrats and our progressive allies are grateful for his 
leadership and support over the years.
  As Jerry McEntee announces that he will retire next year from 
AFSCME's presidency, I am reminded that our work isn't over. Assaults 
on collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin and Ohio proved that.
  The journey from misery and despair to hope and progress that Dr. 
King spoke of--a journey that Jerry McEntee has led for more than 30 
years--is never truly over.
  I look forward to working side by side with AFSCME, our friends in 
labor and all our progressive allies as we continue the work of my 
friend, Jerry McEntee.
  The labor movement is better because of Jerry. America is a better 
place because of Jerry.
  I congratulate Jerry on a career well spent in the pursuit of 
progress.

                          ____________________