Today, SEIU President Andy Stern thanked outgoing AFL-CIO president John Sweeney for his 50+ years of service to working families, and congratulated his successor, Richard Trumka.

"John Sweeney has spent his life thinking of how he can improve the odds for women and men who work. He understood early on that organizing was a key component of our strength. He fought for healthcare reform before it was popular. He modernized SEIU. The labor movement owes him a debt of gratitude for his service.

[...] "Rich Trumka has a great union history and we look forward to working with him to shape the history of American workers in the 21st century."

Labor Warrior At-Large John Sweeney's first job in the labor movement was with the International Ladies' Garment Workers, and in 1961, he joined SEIU Local 32B in New York City as a union representative. Sweeney was elected president of Local 32B in 1976 and led two citywide strikes of apartment maintenance workers during the 1970s. In 1980, he became president of SEIU and has led the AFL-CIO since 1995.

Read Stern's entire statement here. To read more about the AFL-CIO's 26th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention this past weekend in Pittsburgh, click here.

Unionists and allies can send retiring AFL-CIO President John Sweeney a personal message here.