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SIU endorses Richard Trumka (6/15)

The union has issued the following news release. For a PDF version, click HERE Seafarers International Union Endorses Richard Trumka for AFL-CIO President FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CAMP SPRINGS, MD, June 15 – The Seafarers International Union today announced its support for Richard L. Trumka in his bid to win election as president of the AFL-CIO. Trumka has served as secretary-treasurer of the federation since 1995. The next president of the AFL-CIO will be elected at the federation’s convention in Pittsburgh in September. John Sweeney, who has held that post since 1995, has announced he plans to retire. SIU President Michael Sacco, a member of the AFL-CIO executive council, has worked with Trumka for more than 30 years. “Rich is the right man for the job,” Sacco stated. “He’s got big shoes to fill, because John Sweeney has done fantastic work for our movement, but Rich is up to the task. I really believe he will do a great job leading the labor movement.” Sacco noted Trumka’s effectiveness during last year’s presidential campaign, when the former United Mine Workers president carried a powerful pro-worker message across the nation. Trumka’s outreach to working families gained prominence through an internet video, where his no-nonsense, dynamic speaking style and compelling ideas appealed to broad audiences. “But that’s the same Rich Trumka we in the labor movement have known for decades,” Sacco added. “Rich has always been a great advocate for workers. He is one of the most accessible, hardest-working people I’ve ever known, and his record of accomplishment is second-to-none when it comes to advancing workers’ rights. Whether it’s job safety or retirement security or employee-employer communications or any other issue, Rich is always pushing for fair treatment and equitable gains. “The SIU is proud to support him, just as he has supported us over the years.” A third-generation coal miner, Trumka came up through the ranks of the UMWA. He started working in the mines at age 19. Years later, after finishing law school and returning to work for the union at the local and district levels, he was elected UMWA president in 1982. He led the Mine Workers through difficult strikes which preserved the membership’s strength and livelihoods. The Seafarers International Union represents U.S. Merchant Mariners sailing aboard American-flag vessels in the deep sea, Great Lakes and inland trades. The union was chartered in 1938. ###