Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO labor organization, died unexpectedly this morning.
A longtime labor leader, Trumka, who is originally from Greene County and graduated from Penn State, was elected at the age of 33 in 1982 as the youngest president of the United Mine Workers of America.
He was elected president of the AFL-CIO at the federation's convention in Pittsburgh in 2009.
"There is legends, then there is this man".
That is how Darrin Kelly, head of the Allegheny County Labor Council, reacted to the news of Trumka's passing. Kelly talked to Lynne Hayes-Freeland on NewsRadio KDKA about the impact that Trumka had on the labor movement:
"He wore Western Pennsylvania on his sleeve like a badge of honor. He was proud of these roots. He was proud to come out of the coal mine", he says. "This man made sure that Western PA men and women always had a voice, and we are going to miss him terribly".
During his tenure as union president, he also became a political figure, closely aligning the union with the Democratic Party. Today, President Biden, Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi all offered condolences and praise.
Further details of Trumka's death were not immediately available.
Richard Trumka was 72.
