NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS |
Who’s on our side?
By Graham Trainor Oregon AFL-CIO President
Carrying forward his fight
On the morning of August 5, the nation, the
American labor movement, and workers
across the globe were rocked by the sudden,
unexpected loss of a great man, an incredible
leader, and a lifetime fighter for justice, AFL-
CIO President Richard Louis Trumka, or
“it’s just Rich” as he would so often correct
anyone opting for the more formal greeting.
Since his passing, leaders, friends and
family of Rich have shared many touching
words about him. In just the last two weeks
of his life there were examples of his unre-
lenting advocacy and leadership through sev-
eral speeches that were not all that unique in
the life of someone who spent over 50 years
fighting to make life better for working peo-
ple. But these excerpts do illustrate at least a
few lessons about the leader he was and the
legacy he leaves.
On July 21, Rich addressed delegates at
the Washington State Labor Council conven-
tion as the keynote speaker, explaining: “our
calling now is to pass the most transforma-
tive labor law reform in a generation, that’s
the PRO Act … it will rebalance our econ-
omy and strengthen our democracy so that
we, the workers, have more power.”
Rich believed in the power and potential
of strong local and state labor movements
and showcased that with his investment and
support for state federations like ours. While
having talented staff and a sophisticated, cut-
ting-edge organization in our nation’s capital
is important, he knew that the power of or-
ganized labor was rooted in and fostered
through a 50-state network to defend and ex-
pand our movement in every corner of the
country.
On July 27, Rich spoke to the Texas AFL-
CIO Convention, sharing that “inequality is
the greatest threat to democracy.”
He prioritized building power through or-
ganizing and mobilizing in strategic regions,
even when they are traditionally more chal-
lenging for our movement. From welcoming
members of the Texas legislature in Wash-
ington D.C. in their recent walkout to defend
voting rights to his support of Amazon work-
ers fighting for a better life in Bessemer, Al-
abama, Rich understood our movement must
be organized and energized everywhere.
And on the evening of August 4, he
shared recorded remarks with striking miners
at one of the largest rallies in Alabama labor
history and shouted in his true, bombastic
style, “to Warrior Met and all the union-
busters out there: No matter how much you
intimidate us, no matter how hard you try to
break us, working people are not going to
cave or capitulate! We’re not going to give
in or give up. We will prevail. One day
longer. One day stronger.”
Rich’s fighting spirit was forged in the coal
mines of Western Pennsylvania. As the son
of a coal miner, Rich followed his dad into
the mines while attending college before get-
ting his law degree and becoming a staff
lawyer for the United Mine Workers of
America (UMWA). He could have taken his
skills and talents anywhere, but he always
saw himself as part of the working class and
instead went back to Pennsylvania to fight for
the kind of people he grew up with. Rising
on a reform ticket to become president of the
UMWA at just 33 years old, he led his mem-
bers on a nine-month strike against Pittston
Coal Company.
I first met Rich in 2006, and one of the
things that become more and more clear to
me as I got to know him was his unflinching
belief in and appreciation for the role that the
American labor movement must play in
broader society, that our work isn’t just about
wages, hours, working conditions, and the
already-organized. He knew that to have a
truly fair, just, and equitable society, workers
must have more power in the economy. He
used his role, despite the odds and the chal-
lenges in an ever-changing economy, to em-
power every worker.
After the difficult news of his passing, I be-
gan watching, rewatching, and reading a num-
ber of his speeches that have inspired me at
different points in my career. One that I’ve
August 20, 2021 | PAGE 21
come back to frequently was the speech he
gave at the United Steelworkers convention
in 2008, a speech about racism in America and
the critically important role our movement
must play to tackle it and dismantle it every-
where we see it, a speech and message that is
as important today as it’s ever been.
“There’s no evil that’s inflicted more pain
and more suffering than racism, and it’s
something we in the labor movement have a
special responsibility to challenge,” he said
in that speech. This was just one of countless
speeches or actions where his hatred of any
form of bigotry and intolerance, strategies
used to divide working people, was obvious.
Rich was a friend of Oregon’s labor
movement. He always had our backs.
Whether it was blasting dangerous free trade
deals to Oregon press or inspiring us to al-
ways prioritize organizing and growth at sev-
eral summits he joined us for, his support for
Oregon labor was unwavering.
Our hearts continue to go out to the
Trumka family, his friends and colleagues,
and the entire AFL-CIO family as we mourn
this incalculable loss. But we also know that
Rich would not want us to miss a beat and
would expect us to carry forward the fight
for dignity and respect for every single
worker, while also playing a central role in
defending our democracy. Passing the PRO
Act, protecting and expanding the right to
vote, and continuing to challenge and dis-
mantle the barriers that workers of color and
women face, I know that’s what we here in
Oregon will do to honor his incredible
legacy. The fight continues and I am proud
to be in it alongside you.