Political Quotes

“I rise this afternoon, almost the evening now, to reflect on the sad news that we received today that Rich Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, passed away today. I wanted to try to provide some perspective, at least from my vantage point as a Pennsylvanian, because he was a son of Pennsylvania, born in Southwestern Pennsylvania, in Greene County. Greene County, for those who don't know where it is, is in the furthest southwestern corner of our State, the corner where Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia meet. Rich Trumka was a man who fought his whole life in the cause of justice, fighting on behalf of working men and women. Before he became president of the AFL-CIO, obviously a national position, he also, as a very young man--I think he might have been 32 at the time--served as the president of the United Mine Workers of America, that union. And that was during a very difficult time for coal miners and their families. And then, in that position and in so many others, he fought for workers everywhere, literally the world over--not just here in America but workers in South Africa and other parts of the world. So to sum up what he meant to this country is difficult, but I think it can be said of Rich Trumka that he spent every day of his adult life advancing the cause of justice: the cause of justice for workers; the cause of economic justice, social justice, and racial justice. He dedicated his life in service to American workers and their families.…”