Statement from CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan: Remembering William “Bill” Lucy

It is with a heavy heart I inform you longtime labor leader, civil rights activist and dear friend to CSEA, William “Bill” Lucy passed away at his home. Bill was one of the most influential leaders in the history of the labor movement.

He helped our international union, AFSCME, grow in membership and stay strong, serving as International Secretary-Treasurer from 1972 to 2010. Bill also dedicated his life to fighting for justice for working people and the Black community.

His numerous accomplishments include co-founder and President of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), 1972-2013. CBTU is an AFL-CIO constituency group that is an independent voice of black workers within the trade union movement, challenging organized labor to be more relevant to the needs and aspirations of Black and poor workers.

Also a legendary civil rights leader, Bill marched alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to fight for justice, including on behalf of striking AFSCME sanitation workers, and fought tirelessly to end apartheid in South Africa.

Bill was a strong and powerful advocate who advanced the causes of labor and civil rights through everything he did. He was a true friend to labor and to CSEA. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on through all who knew and loved him. Please keep his family in your thoughts during this difficult time.