August 06, 2021
The Center for Economic and Policy Research mourns the passing of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
Throughout his life, Trumka was an invaluable champion of the working class, from his early years as an organizer with the United Mine Workers of America, to his becoming the youngest-ever president of that union in 1982, through to his roles in leadership at the AFL-CIO as secretary-treasurer (beginning in 1995) and as president (beginning in 2009).
Trumka worked tirelessly to advance the cause of labor, including most recently his efforts to pass the PRO Act and secure organizing rights and protections for workers. Trumka understood the importance of international solidarity and that an injury to one is an injury to all, even across borders. Over the years, CEPR was fortunate to have collaborated with him toward a shared goal of creating a more just, equitable, healthy, and sustainable future for working people.
We express our deep condolences to Trumka’s many colleagues in the AFL-CIO and the wider labor movement, and to his family.
