KIRKLAND, LANE

born March 12, 1922, Camden, S.C., U.S. died Aug. 14, 1999, Washington, D.C. in full Joseph Lane Kirkland American labour-union spokesman and leader who was president of the American Federation of LaborCongress of Industrial Organizations (AFLCIO) from 1979 to 1995. Kirkland graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1942 and then served as an officer on American merchant ships throughout World War II. He settled in Washington, D.C., and, after earning a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in 1948, he became a staff researcher for the American Federation of Labor. He rose through the administrative ranks of the AFL, and in 1960 he became an executive assistant to the AFLCIO's president, George Meany. Kirkland was elected secretary-treasurer of the AFLCIO in 1969, and when Meany retired in 1979, Kirkland succeeded him as president of the labour federation. One of Kirkland's major accomplishments was persuading many of the unions that had formerly belonged to the AFL-CIO to return to the fold. Among the major unions to return were the United Automobile Workers of America in 1981 and the United Mine Workers of America in 1989. In spite of these increases to AFL-CIO membership, overall membership in the unionand, thus, its political influence in the U.S.waned during Kirkland's 16-year presidency. This was owing in some part to shrinking employment in the manufacturing sector and other unfavourable economic trends. Kirkland's policies, however, were also blamed, and he was resoundingly criticized by fellow labour leaders who felt that he was far too absorbed in foreign labour issues and that he lacked the vision needed to revive American organized labour. In one such instance, Kirkland gave his full support to Poland's Solidarity trade union, including contributing several million dollars of AFL-CIO money to that cause. While Kirklanda staunch anticommunistfelt proud to have supported the union that had helped topple the government of Poland in 1990, American labour leaders complained that far more union money was being spent on foreign affairs than on programs that would benefit American workers. These issues came to a head in 1995 and Kirkland was forced to step down by a large group of union presidents who opposed his policies. He resigned in August 1995.