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OPA News Release: [10/10/2002]
Contact Name: Bob
Zachariasiewicz
Phone Number: (202) 693-4686
2002 Labor Hall of Fame Inductees Embodied the American
Spirit
WASHINGTON—U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao today hosted
the Labor Hall of Fame induction ceremony, honoring former AFL-CIO President
Lane Kirkland; founder of United Parcel Service (UPS) James Casey; and the
rescue workers of September 11th, represented by Fire Department of
New York (FDNY) Battalion Commander Richard Picciotto and International
Association of Iron Workers General President Joseph 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
11th, 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 is located in the North Plaza of the Labor Department’s Frances
Perkins Building.
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