Labor on the Move In Memoriam: Alan Kistler
Monday, May 19, 2008
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Long-time union leader Alan Kistler passed away on May 10 at his home in
Silver Spring, MD. “All of us in the union movement mourn the death of Alan
Kistler, one of the most respected, creative, and best-loved leaders in our
movement for more than a half-century,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.
Kistler first joined the union movement as a 17-year-old volunteer picketer in
Pittsburgh. After stints in as a union hotel elevator operator, copy boy, cub
reporter, and steel mill laborer, Kistler moved on to work for the original CIO
organizing staff. In 1956, he joined the staff of the recently merged AFL-CIO in
its Organization Department, eventually serving as Director from 1973-1986.
Kistler also served on the AFL-CIO Human Resources Department Institute –
where he led the AFL-CIO’s job training efforts – and as a City Council
member and, later, mayor of Greenbelt, MD. After retiring, Kistler continued to
work in the labor movement as a mediator settling disputes between unions.
“Alan Kistler was a beloved mentor to many trade unionists who today hold top
leadership positions in the labor movement,” said Metro Council President Jos
Williams. “The greatest tribute that we can pay to him is for us to pass on
his legacy to younger trade unionists.”