President Rodzwicz statement on the passing of Senator Kennedy
CLEVELAND, August 26 — Organized labor lost one of its most determined supporters last night with the passing of Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Kennedy, 77, died after a grueling battle with brain cancer. His 47-year career in the Senate was the third longest-term the nation’s history.
He was a staunch ally of organized labor and a strong supporter of the right to organize. Over his career he fought for worker safety and fair wages. He was a major advocate for increasing the minimum wage.
During his career he served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and also served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resource.
Many important pieces of legislation were passed during his tenure, including several that benefited working Americans. Among them is the COBRA Act of 1985, which gave workers the ability to continue health insurance after leaving employment. He was also involved in countless behind the scenes political battles to protect workers rights, working tirelessly to stifle anti-worker legislation and prevent such harmful measures from reaching the Senate floor.
On behalf of the 55,000 men and women of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, I extend my deepest condolences to the Kennedy family.
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Statement of BLET Vice President & National Legislative Representative John Tolman on death of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy
I am deeply saddened both on a personal and professional level by the death of Senator Edward Kennedy. He was, as President Obama said, the greatest Senator of our time. His commitment to the ideals of the labor movement was unparalleled. He not only supported the movement on legislative matters directly involving unions, but he philosophically supported the overarching goal of labor – equality for all.
He was the driving force behind some of the major legislation of the past half century, quite a bit of which formed the basis for the society in which we now live and work – the minimum wage, the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, among many other things, and his influence on society is keen. American families could count on Senator Kennedy to support them and the issues they cared about.
On a personal note, in my current position, as a former resident of Massachusetts, and as the Massachusetts State Legislative Board Chairman for the BLET, I had the extraordinary opportunity to work with Senator Kennedy, and to get to know him and his family on a more personal level, even taking a sailing trip with him one summer in Massachusetts. It always amazed me to talk to him – he would casually mention his brothers Jack and Bobby. These were men so famous, but to him they were simply his brothers, and now all three are all gone.
To many, he was the famous “Liberal Lion” but on closer acquaintance you began to see that he was an extremely personable, kind, generous man who crossed the aisle and co-sponsored key pieces of legislation with Republicans. He had the great ability to put differences aside and make everyone comfortable, even the most conservative Republicans. He could make conversation with any one – from a locomotive engineer to a young staff member just out of college who had the great luck to meet him at an event.
His influence over the shape of this country and the lives he touched each and every day will be immeasurable.