A longtime leader of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, a prominent union federation, is not seeking reelection as president after serving more than two decades in the position.
Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan — who also served in roles with the Greater Louisville Building and Construction Trades Council and the Greater Louisville Central Labor Council — in a blog post said he believed “Kentucky’s labor family will rise to the occasion” to choose a new union president at the union federation’s upcoming convention in December.
“I have always been aware of the long, storied and powerful history of Kentucky’s labor movement and have felt a deep respect and gratitude for the service and sacrifice of those who have toiled in the fields to build Kentucky’s labor movement which has bettered the lives of millions of workers and their families,” Londrigan said in the blog post.
“While I will be leaving my position as President, I will never leave the labor movement which I have cherished being a part of for the past forty years,” he said.
In past years, Londrigan has been a prominent voice in opposition to state legislation and laws perceived to be anti-union including Kentucky’s “right-to-work” law. The Kentucky State AFL-CIO and other unions unsuccessfully challenged the before the state Supreme Court in 2018.
While Kentucky saw a decline in statewide union membership following the passage of that law, Londrigan recently said he believed union organizing driven by younger workers could lead to more workers joining unions in Kentucky in the future.
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Written by Liam Niemeyer. Cross-posted from the Kentucky Lantern.
