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14^th Annual Induction Ceremony

U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao hosted the 14^th Annual Labor Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 10, 2002. The ceremony honored former AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland; United Parcel Service (UPS) Founder James Casey; and the rescue and recovery workers of September 11^th, represented by Fire Department of New York Battalion Commander Richard Picciotto and International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers General President Joseph J. Hunt.

“The Labor Hall of Fame was established to honor Americans who have made distinctive and lasting contributions to the quality of life. Today’s inductees certainly achieved that, not only for millions of their fellow Americans but also for people around the world. Their contributions were broad and profound,” said Chao.

Joseph Lane Kirkland was a champion of working people. He started his union career in 1948 as a researcher for the American Federation of Labor and rose to become president of the merged AFL-CIO in 1979, a position he held for nearly fifteen years. His tenure reflected a life-long commitment to American workers and the high value he placed on their skills and productivity. A hallmark of his career was his early and steadfast support of the Solidarity trade union in Poland. That loyal commitment was pivotal to the ultimate victory of Solidarity over communism in Poland and throughout Eastern and Central Europe.

At 19, a young, enterprising James E. Casey started the American Messenger Company, with only $100, six messengers, two bicycles, and a telephone. Casey grew the company that would become UPS, which today employs 370,000 workers, and delivers 13.6 million items daily in more than 200 countries. Casey was always guided by the principles of courtesy and reliability. He shared his values with his employees, and they are carried on today throughout the ranks at UPS.

Long before the attacks on our nation last September, American workers have always been among the first to respond in times of crisis. On September 11^th, 2002, and during the subsequent rescue, recovery and reconstruction effort, a great number and variety of workers responded to the critical needs of their country and their fellow citizens. FDNY Battalion Commander Richard Picciotto was the last firefighter to escape the devastation inside the North Tower of the World Trade Center when it collapsed that morning. Joseph Hunt is General President of only one of the many unions which completed the recovery and reconstruction in New York and at the Pentagon ahead of time and without serious injury. This year the hall made an exception in that all rescue workers of September 11, living as well as those who perished, have been honored for their achievements as workers and as American patriots. Picciotto and Hunt accepted the induction honor on behalf of all the rescue and recovery workers and their families.

The Labor Hall of Fame, founded in 1988 to honor posthumously those Americans whose distinctive contributions enhanced the quality of life for America’s workers, is home to two dozen kiosks honoring individual inductees. It is located in the North Plaza of the Labor Department’s Frances Perkins Building.