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Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Walter Reuther
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Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Walter Reuther
AWARD OF PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM TO WALTER REUTHER
(Senate - September 29, 1995) Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. president, today the President is awarding, posthumously, the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Walter Reuther. I wish to add my voice to the chorus honoring this fine man, who dedicated his life to helping the working men and women of America. Walter Reuther, son of immigrants, tool and die worker, labor organizer and President of the UAW lived for the union movement.
My own father was a UAW member, so I know full well the many benefits working families gained from Walter Reuther's leadership. Higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions all resulted from Mr. Reuther's tireless work on behalf of workers. My father achieved the respect he deserved and our family and our neighbors achieved a decent life in part because of Walter Reuther's efforts.
At one point Mr. Reuther was shot in the back for his positions and actions. Despite the dangers, and the pain, he carried on. He refused to be cowed by bullies or by anybody else. He would fight for the workers in whom he believed, no matter what the cost. His determination made him, more than any other man, the one responsible for unionization of the auto industry.
Committed to helping workers, he nonetheless avoided political extremism, purging his own union of its extremist elements and making it safe for good, honest Americans.
Walter Reuther died in 1970. He and his wife were victims of a plane accident. But his union survives, as does his vision of a society in which working men and women are given their proper respect.
On behalf of the people of Michigan allow me to express our gratitude to the President for bestowing this honor on one of our own, and to Walter Reuther for his inspiring contribution to our way of life; a contribution that makes him most worthy of this Presidential Medal of Freedom.
HON. DALE E. KILDEE
in the House of Representatives
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1995 - Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in paying tribute to the late Walter P. Reuther. Mr. Reuther, and his late wife May, are being honored by the United Auto Workers with a commemorative tribute to be held on Tuesday, May 9, 1995. This tribute marks 25 years to the day they perished in a plane crash.
- Walter Reuther was a true giant to the labor movement. He was the leader in the fight that gave birth to the labor movement in America. He committed his life to the workers of this Nation, assuring them justice and change in the workplace. Walter Reuther was a visionary. He established revolutionary precedents for workers including pensions, health care, and supplemental unemployment benefits. Walter Reuther is directly responsible for the standard of living that millions of Americans enjoy today.
- Walter Reuther was a patriot. He was a confidante of Presidents. During World War II, his dramatic `500 Planes a Day' plan was adopted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was this plan that helped galvanize the Nation's industrial might, converting automobile plants into producers of tanks and planes, leading to the eventual defeat of the Axis Powers. President Kennedy was provided with the concept of the Peace Corps by Walter Reuther in 1960, having first outlined the idea in a 1956 speech to the National Education Association. He believed that the enemies of democracy could be defeated with enlightenment, knowledge, and the free exchange of ideas.
- Walter Reuther realized the labor movement should be a catalyst for social change. He waged a veritable war against racism, and was a tenacious champion of the civil rights movement. He was an ally and close supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King throughout the bittersweet days of the fifties and sixties.
- Mr. Speaker, it is indeed an honor and pleasure for me to rise today to pay tribute to a true American hero, Walter P. Reuther. In recognition of his dedication to his country he has been nominated posthumously to receive the Presidential medal of Freedom in 1995. He has been an inspiration to me and countless other working men and women. I know the entire U.S. House of Representatives will join me today in honoring this great American, Walter P. Reuther.
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Medal History
