At the age of 19, Trumka followed his father and grandfather into the coal mines of southwestern Pennsylvania as a worker. He later went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1971 and a Juris Doctor from Villanova University School of Law in 1974. In the years that followed, Trumka worked to negotiate big contracts for the miners, often going to court and participating in trials in their defense. From 1974 to 1979, Trumka was a staff attorney with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., Trumka did what many who have left rural Pennsylvania have never done: he went back to the coal mines with the workers.

Sojourner Truth Radio: September 29, 2021 – Honoring Richard Trumka

On August 5, 2021, Richard Trumka, President of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, known simply as the AFL”CIO, unexpectedly passed away. He was 72 years old. Today on Sojourner Truth, we honor the life and legacy of Richard Trumka. We bring you exclusive audio from his keynote speech at the 2013 AFL-CIO conference in Los Angeles, California. We also speak with Jerry Acosta, a former regional director and senior national representative for the Utility Workers Union of America. In March of 1997, Jerry was appointed by AFL-CIO National President John J. Sweeney as the Arizona State Field Director for the Department of Field Mobilization. By 2005, he was appointed as Regional Director for the Western Region of the AFL-CIO, during which he worked alongside Richard Trumka for several years.