The working men and women of the AFL-CIO mourn the death [May 3] of Cardinal John O'Connor, even as we celebrate the life of a great ally and genuine friend of working families.

The Cardinal's lifetime of staunch support of workers' struggles for living wages, family-supportive benefits, safe workplaces, and respect at work made a concrete difference to millions of New Yorkers. His clear, consistent and resolute voice for worker justice was a beacon of hope for the entire nation.

His life reflected a tradition of support within faith communities for ordinary working people, especially low wage workers, and their concerns. His work is testimony to the importance of labor's alliance with those communities and an inspiration to us to continue the successful work of recent years to strengthen those ties.

Cardinal O'Connor grew up in a union household, and it showed. Vatican officials are quick to say how frequently O'Connor would remind them that his father was a painter of churches, and a proud union member. His insistence that labor be honored in all the dealings of the New York Archdiocese reflected the values he learned as a child.

One of the many press reports on the Cardinal in recent days included his account of a conversation with Pope John Paul II on the question of his successor. I was at the fund-raising dinner for Catholic Charities where he shared his priceless story: "I told the Pope," the Cardinal said, "there were only two requirements for the guy who replaces me. One is he has to be a Catholic; two is he has to be a union guy."

Working families everywhere will keep Cardinal O'Connor in their thoughts and their prayers, and remember him as a true champion of justice who never forgot where he came from.