For decades, Richard Trumka was the head of the country’s largest labor federation. Widely considered to be the face of the American labor movement while workers faced a surge in union busting campaigns, Trumka presided over an organization that was diverse and fractious. Last week, he passed away.

What is the state of the labor movement without its longtime leader? And how can his successor steer workers to safer waters? 

Guest: Erik Loomis, a labor historian at the University of Rhode Island and the author of A History of America in Ten Strikes.

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