On the recordSeptember 25, 2024
I rise today to congratulate George Nee, president of the AFL-CIO of Rhode Island, on his upcoming retirement and to thank him for his years of service and unwavering dedication to improving the lives of working people. For George, organized labor serves as the ``People's Lobbyist,'' ensuring that the concerns of working people are given due consideration when critical decisions are made. In his retirement letter, he wrote that ``organized labor has a right and a responsibility to exercise our voice when and where decisions are made at every level of government. These decisions impact the quality of life and economy of our state, and we must be there.'' His leadership--tenacious but pragmatic and always with decency and integrity--has contributed to the vibrancy of the union movement in Rhode Island, making it one of the States with the highest percentage of union workers in the Nation. From the beginning, George acted on the belief that working people have a right to have a voice, no matter if they are working in the fields, on the factory floors, in offices, in healthcare facilities, in schools, or on construction sites. As a young man, he left the comfort of Boston College to earn $5 dollars per week, plus room and board, to join farmworkers in organizing successful grape and lettuce boycotts. He was inspired by Cesar Chavez, and joined him on a pilgrimage across the farmlands of California, serving as his personal bodyguard. Rhode Island called him back.…
