Washington, DC--SEIU President Andy Stern issued the following statement today to thank outgoing AFL-CIO president John Sweeney for his years of service to working families and congratulate 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.

"All over this country, janitors, mine workers, tradesmen, auto workers, carpenters, steelworkers, teachers, nurses and women and men get up and go to work each day believing if they work hard, their kids will have a better life. Our economic crisis hit us hard last year, but many of these hardworking families had already been struggling--working too hard for too little, going without health insurance, lacking both retirement security and a voice on the job.

"The world has changed all around us. Capital is global. Trade is global. Employers have gone global. Both the nature and the structure of work has changed, and we must change too if we are going to meet the challenges of the global economy and make sure workers have a chance to share in the prosperity of the success they help create. The future is now.

"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."

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