Kirkland, Lane (1922-1999), served as president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) from 1979 to 1995. At that time, most labor unions in the United States belonged to the AFL-CIO. Kirkland succeeded George Meany as president.
One of Kirkland’s goals as AFL-CIO president was to persuade nonmember unions to join the federation. Major unions that did not belong included the Teamsters Union, which had been expelled in 1957, the United Automobile Workers (UAW), and the United Mine Workers of America (UMW). The UAW joined in 1981. The Teamsters were readmitted in 1987. The UMW joined 1989.
Joseph Lane Kirkland was born on March 12, 1922, in Camden, South Carolina. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1942 and served in the Merchant Marine until 1946. He graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1948 and became a researcher with the AFL. In 1961, he became Meany’s executive assistant. From 1969 to 1979, Kirkland served as secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. He died on Aug. 14, 1999.
