Solidarity Center Executive Director Shawna Bader-Blau mourns the passing of AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy.
The word “giant” is thrown around so often that it can seem meaningless. But I can’t think of a better word to describe Bill Lucy.
Bill was a giant in the U.S. labor movement—as Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and founder of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU). He was a giant in the civil rights movement and a once-in-a-generation leader whose impact will be felt forever. He was famously with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was assassinated in 1968, there in support of striking sanitation workers, the majority of whom were Black. His work was about forging a deep connection between the civil rights and labor rights movements in the United States.
We were honored that Bill, or “Mr. Lucy,” as so many of us fondly called him, was a founding board member of Solidarity Center. He was also an elected leader for many years at Public Services International (PSI). Our connection as Solidarity Center and our global union partners to the CBTU in the United States was Bill Lucy’s vision. He was a committed internationalist who believed in human rights and democracy for all.
Mr. Lucy championed the cause of many trade unionists around the world. He was among the first U.S. union leaders to build bridges to the Brazilian labor movement after the founding of Solidarity Center. He went to Zimbabwe in the early 2000s in solidarity with the trade unions who were facing repression, and was confronted by that same repression, but never stopped shining a light on that movement for democracy. A decade ago, while still with AFSCME and PSI and as a Solidarity Center board member, he received the first Palestinian labor delegation to the United States in our offices. Bill was also a mentor and friend to so many of us. We will miss him dearly.
There are many tributes to Mr. Lucy’s life and great works—here are a few.