[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9346]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JOHN J. SWEENEY

 Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I rise today to recognize the 
contributions that John J. Sweeney, AFL-CIO president emeritus, has 
made to improve the lives of working men and women and their families 
across America and around the world. The labor movement is the 
foundation of America's middle class, and John Sweeney understands that 
fact. He has devoted his life to fighting for workers so that they have 
safe working conditions, good benefits, and a paycheck big enough to 
support a family.
  John Sweeney's life is an inspirational one. He was born in the 
Bronx, NY--the son of Irish immigrants. His parents knew the value of 
hard work. His father was a New York City bus driver and his mother 
worked as a domestic for wealthy families. John Sweeney's father was a 
member of the union and it was that union membership and steady income 
that made it possible for Sweeney to attend Iona College in New 
Rochelle, NY and graduate with a degree in economics. He also holds 
honorary degrees from Georgetown University, Oberlin College, 
University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of Baltimore, 
Catholic University Law School, the University of Toledo's College of 
Law, Iona College and the College of New Rochelle.
  Sweeney's first job in the labor movement was with the International 
Ladies' Garment Workers, which later merged with the Clothing and 
Textile Workers Union. He joined SEIU Local 32B in New York City in 
1961 as a union representative. Sweeney was elected president of Local 
32B in 1976 and led two citywide strikes of apartment maintenance 
workers during the 1970s.
  John Sweeney was first elected president of the AFL-CIO in 1995 on a 
platform of revitalizing the federation, which has 57 affiliated unions 
and 12 million members, including 3 million members in Working America, 
its new community affiliate. At the time of his election as president 
of the AFL-CIO, Sweeney was serving as president of the Service 
Employees International Union--SEIU. He became president emeritus of 
the AFL-CIO at the federation's constitutional convention in September 
2009, stepping down after 4 terms as president.
  There is no denying that the past few years have been difficult ones 
for the American labor movement, but John Sweeney continues to stand 
strong in the fight for American workers. The American workforce is the 
best trained and most efficient in the world. John Sweeney has been a 
big part of that success and I hope my colleagues will join me in 
thanking him for his lifelong commitment to American workers and their 
families.

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