< 25 Top Pension Power Players

Since Richard Trumka’s 2009 election as president of the 12.5 million-­member AFL-CIO, the largest organization of labor unions in the U.S., his job has only gotten more difficult. Even before Donald Trump was elected along with a Republican majority in both houses of Congress, unions — and traditional pensions — were under assault. Trumka, 67, comes from a family of coal miners and worked in the Pennsylvania mines before earning a law degree from Villanova University in 1974 to help achieve his childhood goal of aiding miners. Fair wages and pension benefits for union members are key issues for Trumka, a founding member of the National Public Pension Coalition, which fights to protect public sector workers’ pensions and has been at the forefront of pushing for an expansion of Social Security. — Frances Denmark

 
The 2017 Pension Political Power 25

1. Andy Puzder Secretary of Labor 2. Bruce Rauner Governor of Illinois 3. Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education Sponsored A Candid Conversation on Real Estate’s Challenges, Cycles, Opportunities and Its Role in Institutional Portfolios Sponsored by Invesco October 16, 2025 4. Laura & John Arnold Founders, Laura and John Arnold Foundation 5. Steven Mnuchin Secretary of the Treasury

6. Wilbur Ross Secretary of Commerce 7. Tani Cantil-Sakauye California Chief Justice 8. Paul Ryan Speaker of the House 9. Anthony Scaramucci Founder, SkyBridge Capital 10. Kevin de León California State Senator and President Pro Tempore

11. Mike Enzi Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security 12. Steve Sweeney President, New Jersey State Senate 13. Jerry Brown Governor of California 14. Corey Lewandowski Co-founder, Avenue Strategies 15. Paul Singer President, Elliott Management Corp.

16. Randel Johnson Senior Vice President, Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 17. Joe Manchin U.S. Senator 18. Kenneth Feinberg Founder and managingpartner, Feinberg Rozen 19. Scott Walker Governor of Wisconsin 20. Richard Trumka President, AFL-CIO

21. Mike Rawlings Mayor of Dallas 22. Elizabeth Warren U.S. Senator 23. Kent Mason Partner, Davis & Harman 24. Bernie Sanders U.S. Senator 25. Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers