Bill Samuel

Bill Samuel is the Director of Government Affairs at the AFL-CIO.  In addition to serving as the chief lobbyist for the 10 million-member labor federation, Bill chairs the AFL-CIO’s Legislative Committee, which is made up of legislative representatives from the federation’s 54 affiliated unions.

Bill returned to the labor movement in January 2001 after a five-year stint in the Clinton Administration, serving first as Associate Deputy Secretary of Labor under Robert Reich and then Alexis Herman.  In 2000, Bill joined the White House staff as senior policy advisor to Vice President Al Gore, serving as the Vice President’s principal advisor on labor policy issues and liaison to organized labor.  

From 1984 to 1995, Bill was the chief lobbyist at the United Mine Workers of America.  While at the UMWA, Bill lead the successful campaign to win passage of federal legislation guaranteeing lifetime health benefits to over 200,000 retired miners and their dependents.  Prior to joining the UMWA, Bill was a legislative representative for the National Treasury Employees Union and the American Federation of Government Employees.

He is a graduate of Oberlin College and the George Washington University Law Center.