The death was announced to staff at the AFL-CIO on Thursday morning. The request for comment was not immediately answered by the federation.The labor movement has lost an icon and long-time champion for working people across America. In response to the Twitter news, The National Rural Mail Carriers' Association said that he will be missed.On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that it was just terrible news. He carried in his veins, every atom of his body the heart, thoughts, and needs of American workers. They were him. Rich Trumka was America's working class.Trumka, a third-generation coal miner was involved in the labor movement. He served as president of United Mine Workers of America, and as an executive counsel to the AFL-CIOs. Trumka also served on several federation committees, before being elected president of AFL-CIO in 2009.It was not clear if Trumka would run for another term of AFL-CIO president, or retire before the federations convention originally scheduled for this fall.The federation had earlier this year announced that it would push the convention to June 2022 due to coronavirus concerns. This move was criticized by some labor leaders as effectively extenuating the terms of the federations leaderships by approximately eight months.This leaves Trumkas' absence with an even greater gap for the federation.
