III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 266 

Recognizing the contributions of John Sweeney to the United States labor 

movement. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. 

KERRY, Mr. DODD, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. STABENOW, Ms. 

KLOBUCHAR, Mr. CASEY, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. BROWN, Mr. REED, Mr. 

SANDERS, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. LEVIN, 

Mr. LEAHY, Mr. BEGICH, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mrs. BOXER, Mrs. 

MCCASKILL, Mr. AKAKA, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. KAUFMAN, Mr. WEBB, and 

Mr. TESTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the contributions of John Sweeney to the United 

States labor movement. 

Whereas John Sweeney was born in the Bronx, New York, 

to hard-working Irish immigrant parents, who instilled in 

him a sense of faith, a commitment to justice, and a love 

for the United States and its infinite potential to provide 

opportunity to all people; 

Whereas John Sweeney was raised by his father, a bus driver, and his mother, a domestic worker, who both worked 

hard to allow him to attend St. Joseph’s School, Cardinal 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with BILLS

2 

•SRES 266 IS 

Hayes High School, and Iona College, where he worked 

as a porter and a grave digger to help pay for his tuition; 

Whereas because of his upbringing and his experiences growing up, John Sweeney gave up a high-paying career to 

dedicate his life to helping the labor movement and improving the lives of millions of working families across 

the United States; 

Whereas John Sweeney’s career in the labor movement has 

taken him from working on behalf of the factory workers 

of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union 

(ILGWU) and the doormen and cleaning women of the 

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to being 

elected, in October 1995, to serve as the president of the 

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO); 

Whereas John Sweeney transformed labor organization and 

engaged the people of the United States on economic justice issues through methods such as the innovative ‘‘Justice for Janitors’’ campaign, while also nearly doubling 

the membership of the SEIU during his time as its president, making it the first union to reach 1,000,000 members; 

Whereas John Sweeney led efforts at SEIU that resulted in 

landmark equal wage rulings for female building employees and launched an organization drive that gave nearly 

20,000 home care employees a voice in improving their 

own income and working conditions; 

Whereas John Sweeney has served as a transformational figure for millions of working individuals in the United 

States, and as president of the AFL–CIO, he has worked 

to revitalize and modernize the role of labor unions, train 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with BILLS

3 

•SRES 266 IS 

a new generation of organizers, promote diversity in 

union leadership, and make unions a driving force for social justice; 

Whereas under John Sweeney’s leadership, the National 

Labor College has become a first-rate institute of higher 

learning, providing an unparalleled opportunity for advancement to countless workers in the United States; 

Whereas John Sweeney has fought on multiple fronts for legislation that advances justice, opportunity, and fairness 

for workers and their families, including legislation for a 

fair minimum wage, increased family leave, and improved 

worker health and safety rules; 

Whereas because of his mother’s experiences as a domestic 

worker, John Sweeney has personally dedicated himself 

to working on a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights for the 

State of New York; 

Whereas John Sweeney has championed the effort to provide 

high-quality health care that is affordable and available 

to everyone in the United States; and 

Whereas John Sweeney, as an author, father, grandfather, 

organizer, and inveterate advocate for the voiceless, continues to inspire a new generation of labor leaders: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the contributions that John 

3 Sweeney has made to the labor movement and to the 

4 lives of working men and women across the United 

5 States; 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with BILLS

4 

•SRES 266 IS 

1 (2) congratulates John Sweeney on his decades 

2 of extraordinary and dedicated service; and 

3 (3) honors John Sweeney for his commitment 

4 to economic and social justice and his tireless advo5 cacy on behalf of the working families of this Na6 tion. 

Æ 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with BILLS