Richard Trumka, the powerful head of the AFL-CIO, passed away suddenly on Thursday reportedly of a heart attack. Over his 12 years as its President, Trumka was the AFL-CIO, and his word set the priorities of the Big Labor agenda for America, and probably the world.

In 2020, Trumka demanded lawmakers pass the PRO Act, and threatened to not use his 12.5 million worker force to canvass for them or line their campaign coffers. The PRO Act was passed by the House in February of 2020. Under his leadership, he saw Biden-Harris elected, and the House renewed its vote on PRO Act passage in March of 2021, then moved on to the Senate. In a threat speech issued after the House passed the Act a second time, Trumka said,

The PRO Act is our next frontier. And our next fight is in the United States Senate. Not just for the PRO Act. But for infrastructure. For democracy reform. And civil rights. The PRO Act is the bill that makes everything else possible.

Of course, there will be no shortage of skeptics who say passage of the PRO Act is impossible.

But we will not let anyone define our capacity or diminish our collective power.

We’ve been patient long enough. No more excuses. No more reasons why we can’t do it.

The PRO Act is our litmus test. If progress is delayed or denied yet again, the suffering of the past year will only get worse.

With the new administration backing his moves, Trumka used his leverage to push through major reforms that benefited unions, while destroying small business and independent professionals. The PRO Act has languished in the Senate, and by itself probably will not see passage; so the Democrats worked feverishly to embed certain of its points into the reconciliation portion of the 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. While independent contractors appear to have dodged a bullet with the exclusion of the draconian ABC Test, and certain other provisions that target us not making the cut, according to the leftist blog People’s World:

Since reconciliation bills are only supposed to deal with money matters, the PRO Act’s higher fines on labor law-breakers and its other penalties are in. The rest of the measure isn’t.

The bill is set for a vote on the Senate floor, according to Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as early as this weekend.

Even if these other portions are sustained on passage of the infrastructure bill, the PRO Act in any form would be the death knell to small businesses and the self-employed throughout the nation.

I don’t subscribe to not speaking ill of the dead. My condolences to his family, but with the evil Trumka has done to true enterprise and American working professionals, I have my doubts he will rest in peace. My only hope is that the entire Big Labor structure will implode now that he is not here to strong-arm, scheme, and bribe in order to keep it together.

From the announcement of Trumka’s death in the New York Post:

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, one of the nation’s most powerful labor leaders, has died, Democratic officials announced Thursday.

“The working people of America have lost a fierce warrior at a time when we needed him most,” the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the floor of the Senate.

Trumka, 72, headed the influential labor organization for more than a decade, representing some 12.5 million workers.

He had emerged as a close ally of President Joe Biden, recently backing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for union workers — a major initiative being pushed by the president, The Hill said.

Biden on Thursday called Trumka “a close friend” who was “more than the head of AFL-CIO” after learning of the labor leader’s death.

Trumka is not even buried yet, and Democrats are using his death to gin up support to get the PRO Act passed. This shows how determined they are to seize complete power for themselves and ruin freedom and independence for industrious, entrepreneurial, hard-working Americans.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Fauxcahontas) was one of the first out the gate to capitalize off Trumka’s memory:

We should honor Rich Trumka’s legacy by passing the bill he poured his heart into: the PRO Act. Unions built America’s middle class, and unions will rebuild America’s middle class – and we should protect and strengthen workers’ right to organize in Rich's memory.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) August 5, 2021

“in Rich’s memory”…. Sure, Jan.

Chuck Schemer Schumer was more subtle than Fauxcahontas, but the gleam behind the crocodile tears was evident.

An emotional Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tearfully announces the death of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on Senate floor:

“It’s just horrible news … we have just lost a giant, and we need him so.” pic.twitter.com/Jnz2LiDMxe

— The Recount (@therecount) August 5, 2021

Independent professionals are seeing through this affected homage:

Sorry for your loss.

Wicked classy move to capitalize on it before the body's even cold, though!

— Jake Poinier #NoPROAct (@DrFreelance) August 5, 2021

He's not worth wasting your false tears. I did a consulting project the United Mine Workers when he first got out of the coal mines when he was elected Treasurer with the other miner Miller. He ran a crooked shop and stuffed his pockets from the dues collected.

— Moshe Foster (@Mfoster1636) August 5, 2021

Some of the tributes about Richard Trumka cross the line to ghoulish saying honoring him by passing #PROAct.

Had Dems been sincere to work bipartisan w/ real reforms PRO Act would have passed in 2020.

But clinging to #ABCtest, eliminating #RightToWork laws & privacy no passage! https://t.co/o9JTrfs1yW

— John Lopez (@JohnLopezIL) August 5, 2021

Trumka was set to line his pockets even more with the PRO Act passage, and cement his power base under the new Biden administration. But, like another seemingly all-powerful boss who ran the City of Chicago for 21 years, who also passed away suddenly from a heart attack, you meet your Maker in His time, not yours.