68-year old William George, president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO announced yesterday that he would step down. George has been a member of the union since 1960, when he got his first job at 18, and has been its president for the last twenty years. And although he says he is ready to retire, he plans to remain on the board, as an executive president and remain involved in political campaigns for labor-friendly candidates. The presidential transition will take place at a state convention next month. It is expected that George?s endorsee, AFL-CIO Political Director Richard W. Bloomingdale, will be elected. In his 20 years as president, George has been known as a steadfast hand for labor, who never forgets the ?plight of the working man (or woman).?
See "Old-school PA union leader is bowing out", Tom Infield, The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 11, 2010