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Mr. LAUNTENBERG: Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who dedicated his life to the working men and women of New Jersey and the entire country, Sol Stetin. Sol passed away a few weeks ago, right after his 95 birthday. For many of those years he was a dear friend to me and my family. My family and I, and millions of others who knew Sol by name or reputation, will miss him very much.

From the time since Sol's family arrived at Ellis Island in 1921, when he was just 10 years old, Sol worked hard to help his father provide for their family. At 16, Sol went into business for himself delivering newspapers. He even employed several other young men to help him. Sol was also a caddy at a local gold club and an amateur boxer.

Sol grew up on the streets of Paterson, NJ, which is my home town. Back then, Paterson was a blue collar mill town where the people worked hard, often under extremely dangerous conditions. Like my own father, Sol took a job as a dye worker in a silk mill. In 1932, the workers declared a strike at the mill and although Sol's job remained safe, he joined those struggling workers and helped to lead their effort, ultimately becoming one of the organizers.

After that first strike on behalf of the hard-working men at that Paterson silk mill, Sol Stetin decided to dedicate his life to defending the rights of those who worked so hard to keep their families fed, housed, and clothed. Sol began his career in the labor movement and quickly became one of the most respected advocates for the workers in this country, rising through the ranks to become a member of the executive council of the AFL-CIO and the Vice President of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.

Sol knew how important it was to preserve and teach the history of the labor movement so he was one of the founders of the American Labor Museum-Botto House National Landmark in Haledon, NJ. As president of the Museum, he was instrumental in creating a training center that is now the model for educating those who continue to fight for fairness and safety in the workplace.

Sol Stetin was a legendary figure in Paterson, where you could often find him sitting in a diner or standing on a street corner, talking and meeting with people who wanted to thank him for what he had done, or to seek his advice. He truly was one of those rare people who come along once in awhile and make a real difference in other people's lives.

Sol's brother Irving Stetin was one of my father's closest friends when they were young men. They both worked in the silk mills in Paterson long before unions were in place, and they suffered from inadequate wages, no pay for holidays off, no healthcare, and no compensation for my mother when my father died at age 43. The cause of his death was attributed to unsafe and unhealthy working conditions in the mill.

A powerful lifetime impression was created for me as I lived through those dreadful days with my mother and my little sister. I learned first-hand, the hard way, about the things working people need for their well-being and a decent quality of life. Those memories will always be with me and they serve as a guide for my decisions, not withstanding my good fortune as an executive in a very successful business.

Because of the tireless work of Sol Stetin and his colleagues in the early days of the labor movement, what happened to my father is no longer the rule, but the exception.

Sol Stetin's family came to America in search of a better life. Then Sol dedicated himself to helping other people in that same search. Sol dedicated himself to giving something back to this country we love so much. For that, each and every American should be as grateful to him as I am.

Sol Stetin lived a long life. But more important, he lived a good life, devoted to helping others. We mourn his passing, but we celebrate his tremendous accomplishments on behalf of so many working men and women and their families and the country. We will miss him.