Today the union movement mourns the loss of Richard N. Brown, who served as president of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) for the past 11 years.  A strong and tenacious voice for federal employees, Brown will be missed by the members of the union he led and by all those who fight daily for working Americans.  

Brown began his leadership in the union movement as president of NFFE Local 2109 in Watervliet, NY, where he worked manufacturing military ordinates for the US Army.  He went on to serve as vice president of the NFFE before assuming the office of president in 1998.  In this capacity, he played a crucial role in the United Department of Defense Workers Coalition, fighting to shield Defense Department workers' bargaining rights against threats from the Bush administration.   

A trade unionist through and through, Brown died yesterday in Arlington, VA.  He was 47 years old and is survived by his father, two siblings, and his fiancée, Cate McGregor.