AFL-CIO President, Western PA Native Richard Trumka Dies

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Richard Trumka, who went from working in the coal mines of western Pennsylvania to being the leader of the 12.5-million member AFL-CIO, died Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced Trumka's death on the Senate floor.

A cause of death for Trumka, 72, has not been disclosed.

“The labor movement, the AFL-CIO and the nation lost a legend today," a news release from the labor organization stated.

"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."

A native of Nemacolin in Fayette County, about 75 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Trumka followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather by laboring in the coal mines. According to his AFL-CIO biography, he did so while attending Penn State and the Villanova University School of Law.

In 1982, Trumka was elected the youngest president ever of the United Mine Workers of America at the age of 33. He was elected AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer in 1995, a position he held until 2009, when he was elected the organization's president.

Tributes to Trumka were immediately offered by Democratic leaders.

In announcing his death, Schumer said, “The working people of America have lost a fierce warrior at a time when we needed him most."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a news release that Congress and the country "are shocked and heartbroken by the passing of an unsurpassed titan of labor. Personally and politically, I am greatly saddened by his passing, which is a great loss for the men and women of labor, and indeed, for all hard-working Americans."

Noting Trumka's coal mining background, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said, "He knew the value – and the cost – of hard work.

"In his life and career, he was an indefatigable advocate for American workers. As the head of one of our nation’s leading labor organizations, Rich was a strong supporter of the rights of workers, and a proponent of laws and policies that safeguard those rights."

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