William (Bill) Lucy, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), is stepping down from the post he has held since he co-founded the CBTU in 1972.

Lucy, an AFL-CIO Executive Council member who also served as AFSCME secretary-treasurer from 1972 until his 2010 retirement, says:

It’s time for a new leader to step into these shoes and connect with young workers who need to see their generation out front in more leadership roles, trying new approaches to empower black trade unionists and achieve social justice at home and abroad.

Lucy worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1968 strike by AFSCME sanitation workers in Memphis until the civil rights leader’s assassination. He also was one of the founders of the Free South Africa Movement that launched the successful anti-apartheid campaign in the United States in the mid-1980s. Earlier this month, Lucy was honored by South Africa with the Nelson Mandela Award for his contribution to South Africa’s freedom.

CBTU, an AFL-CIO constituency group, is dedicated to addressing the unique concerns of black workers and their communities, will elect a new leader at its convention this week in St. Louis.