Labor on the Move In Memoriam: Alan Kistler

(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.”