Richard Trumka was born in tiny Nemacolin, Greene County, in 1949. It was a company town, founded for the workers of steel manufacturer 32 years earlier.
The boy who was raised by a community of laborers and and miners would grow up to lead a mining strike in 1989. Twenty years after that, he’d help the country’s first Black president shepherd through landmark healthcare legislation as the leader of the AFL-CIO.
When Trumka died unexpectedly Thursday, elected leaders from around the state spoke out about his work in the labor movement.
President Biden, who also grew up in the coal country of Pennsylvania, remembered Trumka as a friend.
Statewide Elected Officials
Pennsylvania’s Congressional Delegation
Members of the State Legislature
Patrick Abdalla In 14 years in journalism, Patrick has been a sports writer, entertainment editor, and morning web copy editor. He’s also a certified teacher, once survived a tornado, and had a small plane crash on his street. News seems to find him. He lives in Lackawanna County with his wife and three kids.
Ume Sarfaraz Ume Aiman Sarfaraz is a freelance journalist based in Delaware County. She has written about national and local social issues in a collegiate newspaper. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new restaurants and art in Philadelphia.
