Richard Trumka, Head of the AFL-CIO, Dies at 72.

By Eli Rosenberg, The Washington Post

05 August 21

He was one of the most powerful labor leaders in the country and a key ally of Democrats in Washington.

FL-CIO president Richard Trumka, one of the country’s most powerful labor leaders and an influential voice in many Washington debates, died suddenly at 72, according to a source at the union federation.

Trumka, a third-generation coal miner who rose to power through the United Mine Workers, had become one of the most powerful labor leaders in the country and a key ally of Democrats in Washington, having worked in some capacity with every Democratic White House the last 30 years.

His death comes during a critical moment for the economy and millions of workers. Washington leaders and governors are locked in a fierce debate about the best way to reopen the economy amid risks posed by the new delta variant of the coronavirus. Many Democrats and White House officials had looked to Trumka for direction on how best to proceed.

He had been president of the AFL-CIO, a group of more than 50 labor unions representing 12.5 million members, since 2009, and active in the fight for labor rights dating back decades before that. He was active in debates during Democratic and Republican administrations. In fact, Trumka played a key role during the Trump administration’s effort to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement. Democrats only signed onto the pact after Trumka helped negotiate key changes.

As labor issues took center stage in the Biden administration, Trumka took another turn in the limelight, making waves recently when he expressed support for vaccine requirements for workers, for example.

The news of his death reverberated instantly through Washington Thursday.

“I rise today with some sad, some horrible news about the passing of a great friend, Rich Trumka, who left us this morning," Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), said on the senate floor, pausing to gather composure. “The working people of America have lost a fierce warrior at a time when we needed him most. Just yesterday, Rich was lending his support to the striking miners in Alabama.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) also expressed condolences.

“He never forgot where he came from,” he said in a statement. “He dedicated the rest of his career to fighting for America’s working men and women. He was a fierce advocate for working people and a truly decent man.”

Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, also released a statement.

“We’ve lost one of the nation’s fiercest, most effective advocates for working people ever," he said. “From his earliest days working in the coal mines of Pennsylvania, Rich has lived the values of the labor movement with the greatest passion and purpose. He has touched and improved so many lives.”