"All of NYC Labor mourns the loss of former AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. President Sweeney was a son of New York City, born and raised in the Bronx. He rose up through our City’s Labor Movement by fighting every day for working people and communities, eventually leading SEIU nationally before taking on the reins of the AFL-CIO in 1995. President Sweeney was not only a giant of the Labor Movement, he was a person of enormous integrity, class, compassion, and grace. He was one of our own, and his contributions to the lives of NYC’s and our nation’s workers will never be forgotten. We send our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones."