Bill Richardson Governor of New Mexico

Introductions and Opening Remarks by:  ELENA KAGAN,   Dean,  Harvard Law School, Harvard University

President, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

Opening Remarks by Elena Kagan, Dean, Harvard Law School:
" This is a great privilege for us. Actually, before I say anything else I'd like to welcome Jerry Wurf's family: Mildred Wurf and his children, Abigail and Nick Wurf. We are extremely pleased that you could join us today.
    For those of you who don't know, Jerry Wurf was the seventh president of AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which is now one of the biggest unions in America. Most of that union's great growth, really its coming into being as a major force in the union movement, took place under Jerry Wurf, who was really one of the great modern labor leaders."

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Opening Remarks by Lawrence H. Summers, President, Harvard University: 
 " Al Gore is going to speak to us about the strength of America. In a moment, I want to say a few words about the strength of Al Gore but, before I do, I want to say a few words about public service. I want to recognize Jerry Wurf, someone I knew well as his family vacationed near mine in Wellfleet, Massachusetts and someone who I admired for his commitment to doing the right thing by the people he represented and doing the right thing by this country. Jerry made what I think is a point that none of us at the university can make often enough or strongly enough and that is the importance of public service. There was only one group of people who were going up the stairs in the World Trade Center on September 11 and those were public servants. Public servants. People who are paid by taxes. People who were workers in the government of New York City, workers in the government of New York State and workers in the government of the United States. Anyone who wants to say that government work is wrong or that government is wrong or that government is bad should think about those people going up those stairs at that moment."

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Keynote Address: "The Changing Role of the Union and Competitiveness"
Donald Ephlin
International Vice President and Director of the
General Motors Department, United Auto Workers

Introduction
William Lucy
International Secretary-Treasurer, American
Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees

Postscript I: Lessons Learned
Linda Kaboolian
Research Fellow in the Center for Business
and Government, John F. Kennedy
School of Government, Harvard University

Postscript II: The Forces Driving Change
Kim Clark
Professor of Business Administration,
Harvard Business School

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Olof Palme,
Swedish Prime Minister

"Some time ago in Vienna, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Bruno Kreisky's speech when he retired as chancellor and leader of the Austrian Social Democratic Party. As we in the audience sat there listening, we expected to hear an account of his long and eventful life and of his wide-ranging and successful political experiences. But not at all! Bruno Kreisky talked only about the future. At his retirement from official life, the whole of his thinking was looking forward..."

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