The 60-year-old secretary-treasurer of the 11-million-member AFL-CIO outlined a plan Monday before the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, to push for causes that more directly affect younger workers, including freelancers and temporary workers. Among the causes: affordable college education, protection for telecommuters and portable health care.

"We've lost touch with a whole generation," said Mr. Trumka, who is expected to become president of the AFL-CIO at its convention in Pittsburgh, running unopposed for the position.

The latest drive comes at a time when labor sees new opportunities in a Democratic administration -- despite grumbles that their top priorities, especially a bill to make labor organization easier, are falling by the wayside -- but continues to face a decline of membership and interest.

Union membership stands at 7.6% of the private sector, down from about 17% in the early 1980s. Dwindling membership and dues have weakened the AFL-CIO's balance sheet. In 2008, the federation had $2.3 million more in liabilities than in assets, compared with net assets of $29.1 million in 2004, according to Labor Department filings.

Business leaders argue that that labor's ongoing woes reflect changes in the workforce, and say they expect little change from Mr. Trumka. "I suspect he's going to be very aggressive but I think, frankly, more of the same in the sense of a very liberal agenda that does not appear open to compromise," said Randy Johnson, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president of labor.

Mr. Trumka said that a study by the Center for American Progress showed support for unions was higher among Americans ages 30 or younger than in any other age group, based on presidential election-year surveys. "The problem is that they don't think we have much to offer them," he said.

Mr. Trumka said in an interview that he planned to field a team of 1,000 organizers to help the federation's 56 unions recruit such workers and visit college campuses. He also planned to boost organizing efforts among low-wage minority workers.

With the exception of a few unions, most have been unsuccessful with similar campaigns in recent years, but Mr. Trumka said that he plans to alter younger workers' views of unions by coming up with more flexible ways to provide retirement and healthcare benefits that workers can maintain when they switch employers.

For a man talking about college affordability and flextime, the burly and mustachioed Mr. Trumka physically epitomizes the image of an old-time labor leader. In front of a union crowd, he can breathe fire into a speech.

In August, at the Sheet Metal Workers International Association convention, he promised to take on politicians. "We need to send them a special message," he said. "You may have forgotten what the labor movement did to get you elected, but, by God, we never will! And if you stab us in the back on health care this year don't you dare ask us for our support next year!"

Mr. Trumka has drawn attention from prosecutors, too. In 1996, he backed Ron Carey over James P. Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to run the union. A year later, federal prosecutors alleged that Mr. Trumka helped illegally steer $150,000 toward Mr. Carey's campaign. Mr. Trumka invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer questions. He was never charged.

Labor was a big supporter of Democrats last year, spending by union estimates more than $400 million, mostly on efforts to mobilize voters for Barack Obama in his campaign for the White House and for other Democrats.

Mr. Trumka, who serves on the Obama administration's economic-recovery advisory board, on Monday took a swipe at political leaders that labor helped elect, saying many were eager for labor's support but are now backing away.

Mr. Trumka, who began mining coal at 19 and later received a law degree from Villanova University, led the United Mine Workers of America for 13 years. The Pennsylvania native spent the last 14 years as secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, largely in the shadows of federation president John Sweeney, 75.

As Mr. Sweeney prepared to retire, Mr. Trumka began taking a more public and political stand. In a tough-talking 2008 speech to United Steelworkers, he said race shouldn't play a role in the presidential election. The speech, which had more than 500,000 viewers on YouTube, was viewed as helping Mr. Obama shore up support among white union families.

Supporting Mr. Trumka, Steelworkers President Leo W. Gerard said, Mr. Trumka has broad support within organized labor. "Not only does Richard have the experience and the intellectual capacity to do the job, he brings great heart and passion to the fight for issues that matter to America's working families," he said