AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has died
Laura Clawson for Daily Kos Labor
Trumka came up through the
United Mine Workers, having started working as a coal miner in 1968 before
graduating from college and then law school and becoming president of the
UMWA in 1982.
Trumka was elected secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO on a slate with John Sweeney, who was president of the federation from 1995 to 2009.
Their election represented a move toward a broader, more diverse labor movement with
a deeper commitment to workers not represented by unions and, often, ties to
other areas of the progressive movement.
In 2008, Trumka got widespread attention for his powerful speech to the United Steelworkers taking on racism in the context of Barack Obama’s run for president. In fact, Trumka gave versions of that speech to other groups, bringing the message as widely as he could.
In the speech, Trumka
told of an encounter with a woman in his hometown of Nemacolin, Pennsylvania,
on the day of the state’s presidential primary. When she told him she could
never vote for Obama, he pressed her through a series of excuses until she
admitted it was because Obama was Black.
“And I said, ‘Look around this town. Nemacolin’s a
dying town. There’s no jobs here,’” Trumka said. “Our kids are moving away
because there's no future here. And here's a man, Barack Obama, who's going to
fight for people like us, and you want to tell me that you won't vote for him
because of the color of his skin? Are you out of your ever-loving mind, lady?”
“See, brothers and sisters, we can’t tap-dance around the
fact that there’s a lot of folks out there, just like that woman, and a lot of
them are good union people—they just can’t get past the idea that there’s
something wrong with voting for a Black man. Well, those of us who know better
can’t afford to sit silently or look the other way while it’s happening.”
He went on to detail times in U.S. history when organized
labor similarly stood for civil rights and against racism. (That is by no means
the only racial history of the U.S. labor movement, to be clear.)
Recently, Trumka had spoken out in favor of vaccination
mandates.
As news of his death spread, Trumka was also fondly remembered
for one of his briefest statements ever:
The U.S. labor movement has been in tough times for
decades now, and Trumka decidedly could not stem the losses. But he has been a
strong leader who tried to bring unions forward and raise up working people at
every turn. This is a serious loss.
EDITOR'S NOTE: When I worked at the AFL-CIO John Sweeney was President with Mr. Trumka as Secretary-Treasurer and Linda Chavez-Thompson as Executive Vice-President. I saw him often and was impressed with his dedication and knowledge. His sudden and unexpected death is a shock. May he rest in peace. - Will Collette
Statement from AFL-CIO Communications Director Tim Schlittner on the passing of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka:
“The
labor movement, the AFL-CIO and the nation lost a legend today. Rich Trumka
devoted his life to working people, from his early days as president of the
United Mine Workers of America to his unparalleled leadership as the voice of
America’s labor movement. He was a relentless champion of workers’ rights,
workplace safety, worker-centered trade, democracy and so much more. He was
also a devoted father, grandfather, husband, brother, coach, colleague and
friend. Rich was loved and beloved. Today, the 56 unions and 12.5 million
members of the AFL-CIO mourn the passing of our fearless leader and commit to
honoring his legacy with action. Standing on Rich’s shoulders, we will pour
everything we have into building an economy, society and democracy that lifts
up every working family and community.”