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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8211.
Today the Department of Labor celebrates a milestone: the
40- year partnership that is the AFL-CIO.
The merger of the American Federation of Labor and the
Congress of Industrial Organizations on Dec. 5, 1955, required great courage on
the part of the two organizations' leaders -- George Meany and Walter Reuther.
Not only did it require them to accept each other as partners, but for the
first time to compromise on behalf of the shared interests of craft and
industrial unions. They recognized that unity was necessary to meet the
challenges they faced.
Today, the historic mission of the AFL-CIO -- to protect
and improve the lives of American workers -- is more relevant and important
than ever. The AFL-CIO is a champion of the issues we care about at the
Department of Labor: stagnant and declining wages, rising inequality, the need
to upgrade skills, protecting pensions and benefits, making sweatshops obsolete
and making workplaces safe.
So we salute the AFL-CIO's creative capabilities that have
served it so well during this long partnership. And, with the baton recently
passed to a dynamic new leadership team, we wish the organization well as it
continues its efforts to improve the lives of American workers as we move
toward the 21st century.
Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
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