New Jersey Administrative Code
Title - EXECUTIVE ORDERS
Title 55 - CHRIS CHRISTIE
Section - Executive Order No. 250 (2021)

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024

Governor Philip D. Murphy

Executive Order No. 250 (2021)

An Order Directing the U.S. and New Jersey Flags to Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

Issued: August 6, 2021.

Effective: August 6, 2021.

WHEREAS, Richard Trumka, President of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations ("AFL-CIO"), was a dedicated champion of the American working class and an unparalleled leader for organized labor for nearly four decades; and

WHEREAS, President Trumka was born Richard Louis Trumka on July 24, 1949, in Nemacolin, Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, as a third-generation coal miner, President Trumka mined coal to pay his way through Pennsylvania State University and later, the Villanova University School of Law; and

[page=1417] WHEREAS, from 1974 to 1979, President Trumka served as a staff attorney for the United Mine Workers of America ("UMWA") and at age 33, was elected as its youngest President;

WHEREAS, during his time as President of UMWA, President Trumka led several large-scale labor movements, including a nationwide strike against Peabody Coal, which garnered him national attention as an advocate for working Americans; and

WHEREAS, in 1995, President Trumka was elected secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, a position he dutifully held for fourteen years, and focused his efforts on building and enhancing the stability of the pension and benefits funds upon which over 12.5 million members rely; and

WHEREAS, President Trumka's leadership roles within the AFL-CIO also included his position as chair of the Industrial Union Council and co-chair of the China Currency Coalition; and

WHEREAS, in 2009, President Trumka was elected President of the AFL-CIO, a position he held until his passing; and

WHEREAS, during his time as President, President Trumka was devoted to strengthening the middle class by restoring workers' freedom to form and join unions and advocating for good, well-paying jobs; and

WHEREAS, President Trumka was committed to ensuring that elected officials at both the local and national levels were held accountable to working Americans and their families; and

WHEREAS, throughout his career, President Trumka worked tirelessly to end unfair trade practices, support American-based manufacturing, and challenge corporate abuses of workers' rights; and

WHEREAS, in 2018, President Trumka was awarded the inaugural World Peace Prize for Labor Leadership for dedicating his life to defending the rights of working men and women; and

WHEREAS, President Trumka's passion for fair treatment of organized labor extended beyond the borders of the United States, as he established an office that promoted solidarity with miners in South Africa fighting apartheid and helped organize the Shell boycott, which challenged the multinational Royal Dutch/Shell Group for its continued business dealings in South Africa; and

WHEREAS, for his efforts in South Africa, President Trumka received the 1990 Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, I had the privilege of building both a personal and professional relationship with President Trumka and often turned to him for advice and counsel; and

WHEREAS, President Trumka was among my first selections for the Restart and Recovery Advisory Council, which I created in May of 2020 to advise on New Jersey's rebuilding from the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as I knew his expertise in labor and his intimate knowledge of the challenges facing New Jersey's workers would prove invaluable in developing a plan for the State's recovery; and

WHEREAS, President Trumka is survived by, among others, his son, Richard, who was recently selected by President Biden to serve on the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and his wife, Barbara; and

WHEREAS, President Trumka will be sorely missed not only by his family, friends, and colleagues, but also by all of the working people of the United States, in service of whom he dedicated his career; and

WHEREAS, it is with immense sadness and gratitude we mourn the untimely passing of President Trumka, who brought passion, kindness, and honesty to his many decades of advocacy;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT: