Workers Worldwide Mourn the Passing of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

The labor movement across America and the world is mourning the unexpected death of Richard Trumka, President of the national AFL-CIO since 2009, and a major force on the labor scene for more than 40 years.

Local 100 President Tony Utano said: “Brother Trumka’s passing is a shocking and devastating loss to our great labor movement. He was a devoted and passionate fighter for the rights of workers on the job, and for social justice and equality for all people here and abroad. We in TWU are all deeply saddened by his death, and we send our most heartfelt condolences to his family, and to our brothers and sisters at the AFL-CIO in Washington.”

The son of a coal miner in western Pennsylvania, Trumka went to work in the mines as a teenager. But he also went to college at Penn State and Villanova and became a staff attorney with the United Mine Workers of America union's Washington office soon after graduating law school in 1974.

He became the youngest man elected president of the UMWA in 1982 at the age of 33 and led the union on a series of strikes over the next 13 years, including the nationally famous Pittston Coal Strike.

He became the secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO in 1995 and President in 2009.

Upon hearing the news, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer interrupted Senate proceedings on August 5, 2021 to say: "I rise today with some sad, some horrible, news about the passing of a great friend, Rich Trumka, who left us this morning. The working people of America have lost a fierce warrior at a time when we needed him most."