Remembering Richard Trumka, Labor Champion

By DON ROLLINS

Pick an adjective in the English language, and there’s a better than even chance it applies to the American union movement. Indeed few institutions in the modern era have generated so much Sturm and Drang (storm and stress), within and without.

But whether in spite or because of this sometimes rocky reality, collective bargaining has over and again proved its utility, improving working conditions, increasing production and saving lives. By any reasonable measure, this hardscrabble chunk of society has stood us well, and signs of a unionist revival should be celebrated.

The study of unions in this country has often turned on leadership tenures — an intuitive way to organize history according to the various scalawags and saviors, villains and visionaries who have held the reins of power. Be it the Postal Workers, Teamsters or National Education Association, each administration has left its mark for good, bad or somewhere in between. Then a page is turned.

This is where the country’s largest federation of unions now finds itself. Unless you’re a strong supporter or sworn enemy of organized labor, the name Rich Trumka may not register. President of the AFL-CIO since 2009, Trumka died of a heart event in early August. He was 72.

His tale is a true working class rise through the ranks: union coal miner; lawyer; president of the United Mine Workers of America; secretary-treasurer, then president of the AFL-CIO.

Although not entirely beyond the reproach reserved for some of his labor leader predecessors (a campaign fund investigation during his time as AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer) Trumka’s first contribution to the federation was a relatively scandal-free culture — a key factor in keeping the organization focused and proactive.

Yet Trumka’s larger legacy will have to do with conditions beyond the federation itself, chiefly his capacity for forging relationships and coalitions, even during a virulently anti-union Trump administration. Trumka was a tireless proponent for solidarity, recruiting progressives engaged in civil rights, environmentalism, LGBTQ+ advocacy, trade policy reform and progressive religion. He didn’t invent combining resources, but he sure as hell took it to another level.

This commitment to partnership was a frequent irritant among some Capitol Hill and White House Democrats fixated on constituent surveys and protecting their individual budgets. Yet others were glad to divert resources and take chances so long as Trumka and labor took the brunt. Which he gladly, bravely did.

The accolades for Rich Trumka will rightly continue, mixed with sadness for those of us who followed him from a distance. His decades of experience, expansive connections and singleness of vision cannot be replaced, only emulated.

But even if Trumka turns out to be another one of those progressive champions we didn’t even know we had, the pattern is there. And the work is cut out for us.

Don Rollins is a Unitarian Universalist minister living in Hendersonville, N.C. Email donaldlrollins@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, September 15, 2021

Populist.com