ALIGN

Richard Trumka’s death last month marked a symbolic turning point for America’s labor movement. The third-generation coal miner, who led the AFL-CIO for 12 years, had long planned to pass the baton to his No. 2, Liz Shuler, and shortly after Trumka’s death, she became the first woman to lead the 12.5 million-member labor federation. Succeeding Shuler is Fred Redmond, the chair of the AFL-CIO Task Force on Racial Justice that launched last year. He is now the first Black person to serve as the AFL-CIO’s secretary-treasurer.

In New York – where both Trumka and Shuler have been familiar faces – the labor movement is undergoing a similar shift, with more women and people of color filling important leadership roles. City & State’s New York City Labor Power 100 – researched and written in partnership with journalist Trevor Boyer – features the union chiefs, political staffers, worker rights advocates, activists, attorneys and others who make up the ever-evolving labor movement in the city.

Maritza Silva-Farrell has spent over a decade at ALIGN, and has served as the organization’s executive director since 2016. ALIGN, formed by a coalition of labor unions and community groups, advocates for economic equality, a cleaner environment and racial justice. She recently joined other advocates and activists in calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to expedite the implementation of congestion pricing in Manhattan and demanded that a state wage theft bill be signed into law.

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