President Holway's Statement on the Death of Senator Kennedy
Today our nation has lost one of our greatest leaders and strongest voices for equality, fairness, and dignity for all people.
Senator Edward Kennedy, despite his family fame and fortune, was a man of the people and for the people and has been for decades working families’ ally and fierce advocate. Our union deeply mourns his passing.
Senator Kennedy led with a political acumen informed by years of battles won and lost, and more importantly, by an intellect grounded in his heart and in the belief that all women and men are created equal. He embodied and lived the ideal of public service.
It was Senator Kennedy’s tough talk and quiet diplomacy that pushed through the bill providing families of officers killed in the line of duty a death benefit to allow them to keep going in their darkest, most uncertain times.
It was Senator Kennedy who sat in a meeting with our union not long ago in Washington, D.C. and promised to fight for fairness in Social Security benefits for public employees who have foregone high salaries and rich retirement in order to serve the public.
It was Senator Kennedy who, during his own fierce battle with mortality, continued to fight ferociously on our behalf to bring fairness and equality in health care to all Americans. He, who had access to the greatest health care in the world, continued to care to his last day about the health care we could all have access to.
Senator Kennedy fought for us and for the causes we believe will make our families and communities stronger and our nation more hopeful that despite the greatness of today, our tomorrow will always be better.
I believe that in our sorrow today, we as union members and working women and men, can find comfort in knowing that we will carry forward the memory of Senator Kennedy by doing what we do every day. We will honor the great senator by continuing our service to the public, by righteously fighting for dignity and respect for all people, and by continuing to hope and believe that we can make our communities and nation a better place by both the grand and simple acts of work we do every day.