Richard Trumka, longtime president of AFL-CIO, dies at 72

WASHINGTON (AP) — The longtime president of the AFL-CIO labor organization has died at age 72.

Richard Trumka had been AFL-CIO president since 2009, after serving as the organization’s secretary-treasurer for 14 years.

President Joe Biden eulogized Trumka from the White House on Thursday and said the labor leader had died of a heart attack while on a camping trip.

Trumka led a federation with more than 12.5 million members and ushered in a more aggressive style of leadership.

Larry Cohen, a former president of the Communications Workers of America, who had known Trumka for decades, said Trumka’s death was a “devastating” loss for labor, in part because of his long-standing relationship with Biden.