The gathering of the AFL-CIO yesterday in Pittsburgh turned to the memory of a man who wasn't a member: the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Mr. Kennedy's niece, Caroline Kennedy, appeared before the 1,000 delegates and their guests to talk about her uncle and his commitment to organized labor.

"Teddy succeeded because he cared about people. No one held a greater place in his heart than the men and women of the labor movement," Ms. Kennedy said. "In his 47 years in the Senate, he cast hundreds of votes for working men and women."

Ms. Kennedy said she was appearing in Pittsburgh during the national AFL-CIO convention because earlier this year, when it became apparent that his failing health would keep him from attending, Mr. Kennedy asked her to attend as his representative -- and to represent all of the Kennedys who collectively have spent 85 years in Congress and the White House championing the rights of labor.

"He told me the fight for workers' rights was a continuing struggle. Day after day, year after year, Ted Kennedy stood with labor because he knew it was the right thing to do," she said to the assembled labor organizers. "You were his colleagues, his friends and you were his inspiration."

In introducing a video tribute, AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney spoke of the late senator's commitment to the working man and his work on behalf of health care and the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier to organize workplaces.

"He made the fight for universal health care the cause of his life," Mr. Sweeney said. "Although he came from wealth and privilege, he was one of us."

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., too, spoke of Sen. Kennedy's influence on him.

"Teddy Kennedy became a mentor for me," he said.

Mr. Casey said he is continuously inspired by the example set by Sen. Kennedy and proud of being an original sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act.

In a press conference before his convention appearance, Mr. Casey said that while Vice President Joseph R. Biden set a deadline of Thanksgiving to get a health care bill through Congress to the president to sign, he believes it should be passed by the end of October.

"It's time for Congress to start voting," he said.

He also said a public option is logical because the country already has a dual system, with private insurance for some people while others are part of one of the public systems through Medicaid, Medicare, the Veterans Administration or the Children's Health Insurance programs.

He also applauded President Barack Obama's imposition of tariffs on Chinese-manufactured tires, an action also supported by United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard.

Later, to the applause of the delegates in the hall, Mr. Casey said the Employee Free Choice Act should be passed this year.

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis yesterday supported the act, without promising its passage. "I will work with the White House to make the strongest case possible for the Employee Free Choice Act," she said.

She focused a good portion of her speech on the importance of enforcing the laws meant to protect workers' rights and safety.

She said with a country feeling the effects of the recession and unemployment at 9.7 percent, "I think it's important now, more than ever, that we have an active Department of Labor that advocates for the needs of working class labor."

Ms. Solis said this year the U.S. Department of Labor added 670 investigators to its enforcement ranks -- "a level not seen since 2001." She said since July, the department had investigated 689 violations of labor laws and imposed $1.6 million in fines.

As the first labor secretary to address the AFL-CIO since Bill Clinton was president, "My goal now is simply to create good jobs for everyone -- jobs that support families and narrow the wage gap, jobs that are safe and secure with the right to organize and collective bargaining."

She said she wants workers in green jobs producing products for export and "jobs that will rebuild a strong middle class."

Ms. Solis stressed the importance of unions: "Some say, given the state of the economy, we can't afford unions right now. Well, they have got it backward. Right now unions are more important than ever. I believe and I know that union jobs are good jobs; that union jobs pay higher wages."

When she finished, she led the delegates in chanting, "Yes, we can" and "Yes, we will."

Today, the delegates will get to share that chant with the man who made it a campaign slogan, when the organizer-in-chief, President Obama, comes to Pittsburgh to thank the leaders of unions across the country for their support of his campaign last year.