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October 27, 2008    DOL Home > OASAM > Labor Hall of Fame > 2002 Honoree   

Labor Hall of Fame Honoree (2002)

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Lane Kirkland

Lane Kirkland
1922-1999

"The skills and productivity of American Workers, not to mention the taxes they pay, are the greatest economic resource our country has." — Lane Kirkland

For half a century Joseph Lane Kirkland was a master builder of the American labor movement. Beginning work as a researcher for the AFL in 1948, he rose through the leadership ranks to be elected Secretary-Treasurer in 1969. He succeeded George Meany to serve as President of the AFL-CIO from 1979 to 1995. Kirkland strengthened the American labor movement immeasurably by reintegrating the Teamsters, Auto Workers, and Mine Workers unions back into the AFL-CIO. A passionate opponent of totalitarian regimes around the world, he supported the Polish Solidarnosc (Solidarity) movement that led to the fall of the Communist bloc. He worked tirelessly to assure equal treatment for all Americans and to aid repressed minorities throughout the world. The award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 culminated a remarkable career dedicated to economic improvement and social justice for all workers.

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