• This afternoon (July 7, 2022), President Biden posthumously honored former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor. • In awarding the medal, President Biden said: “No one did more work for American workers than he did. For Rich, his work was synonymous with the word that […]

Richard L. Trumka (1949 – 2021) Our brother and AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka passed away on August 5, 2021, at the age of 72.The labor movement, the AFL-CIO and the nation lost a legend. Rich devoted his life to working people, from his early days as president of the United Mine Workers of America to his unparalleled leadership […]

Liz Shuler Elected President as Part of Most Diverse Leadership Team in AFL-CIO History August 20, 2021 The AFL-CIO Executive Council today (8/20/2021) elected Liz Shuler, a visionary leader and longtime trade unionist, to serve as president of the federation of 56 unions and 12.5 million members. Shuler is the first woman to hold the […]

National AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, one of the country’s most powerful labor leaders and an influential voice in many Washington debates, died unexpectedly on August 5, 2021, at the age of 72. Trumka died on a camping trip with his family after suffering a heart attack, President Biden told reporters, saying Trumka was a close […]

By Richard Trumka & US Senator Jeff Merkley For months, the eyes of our nation were transfixed on a small suburb near Birmingham, Alabama Warehouse workers authorized the largest union election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The name of their employer is on over 5 billion […]

Richard Trumka November 5, 2020 AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka delivered the following remarks at his post-election press conference: Good afternoon. Thank you for joining this call. More than that, thank you for your role in making our democracy strong. I am hopeful that the end of the Trump presidency will bring a newfound respect for […]

Despite its setbacks, or perhaps because of them, organized labor has an energy level that AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka says he hasn’t seen before in his 50 years with the movement. Unions are pushing for more than just lip service from presidential candidates, which is prompting a flurry of pro-labor proposals from Democratic candidates. Mr. […]

by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka President Trump didn’t want to end this shutdown—the collective action of working people demanded it. By marching, rallying and protesting together, we forced him to the table and ensured that the labor and dedication of our public servants will not be taken for granted. However, this fight is far from […]