Power Profile: Jake Hummel
Jake Hummel currently serves as the president of Missouri AFL-CIO.
Jake Hummel didn’t set out to enter politics. He started out as a union electrician with IBEW Local 1 and spent years working hands-on at job sites across Missouri.
But after volunteering on campaigns and realizing the power of policy to shape the future of working families, he ran for office and won. Over more than a decade in the Missouri General Assembly, including four years as House minority floor leader, Hummel became a leading voice on labor and infrastructure issues. That experience ultimately led him to a new chapter in labor leadership. After leaving the Senate, Hummel joined the Missouri AFL-CIO, where he now serves as president.
In this role, he draws on both his time in the trades and his years shaping energy and labor policy at the Capitol.
“I have a working knowledge of inside a power plant because I’ve helped work on them, and also the policy side, what needs to be done to make sure we have good baseload energy going forward,” Hummel said.
That dual perspective informs his strong support for modernizing Missouri’s energy grid. Hummel sees infrastructure investment not only as essential for reliability but as a foundation for economic growth and workforce stability. Missouri’s competitive edge, he noted, hinges on the availability of baseload power to support industries like manufacturing, data centers and artificial intelligence.
“We’ve got to make sure we have the power available to welcome them into the state,” he said.
Projects that strengthen the grid don’t just benefit industry. They also sustain Missouri’s skilled union workforce. Hummel described the relationship between utilities and trades as symbiotic: energy companies need reliable labor, and unions deliver it.
“Our union construction workers are second to none in terms of skill set,” he said. “We’ve got the availability of manpower; we’ve got the ability to get things done.”
That readiness stems from decades of investment in apprenticeship programs throughout the state, which Hummel calls “the gold standard.” Missouri’s building trades have funded and operated their own training centers for generations, at no cost to the state or taxpayers. Apprentices learn on the job, earn while they train and enter careers that offer stability, benefits and wages strong enough to support a family.
These programs also support long-term retention and employer loyalty.
“Studies have shown there’s much less turnover when there’s an apprenticeship involved,” Hummel said.
That workforce pipeline is one reason organized labor championed Senate Bill 4, a major utility bill signed into law earlier this year to streamline energy project approvals across Missouri. The legislation was a top priority for the AFL-CIO and the trades, which played a key role in getting it across the finish line. Hummel said the bill ensures utility companies like Ameren can move forward with infrastructure upgrades that support economic development while creating good-paying union jobs.
“For us, it’s about the jobs,” he said. “It’s about making sure Missouri can keep moving forward.”
Looking ahead, Hummel is focused on expanding labor’s presence in public service, not just at the statehouse but in city halls and school boards across Missouri. He believes union members bring an essential perspective to local leadership. These are people who understand the realities of living paycheck to paycheck, working with their hands and relying on safe, affordable public services. That kind of lived experience, he said, can help shape policies that truly reflect the needs of working families.
“We certainly encourage all of our folks to run for office,” he said, “not just to help their brothers and sisters out but also to help the industries in which they work.”
By supporting candidates who understand the challenges facing working families, Hummel hopes to shape policies that protect jobs, invest in infrastructure and ensure long-term economic resilience. The federation is currently gearing up for a new round of municipal elections and has launched grassroots candidate recruitment efforts across the state.
Outside of work, Hummel stays busy at home with his wife, Sarah, and their three children: one in college, one in elementary school and a toddler just starting to explore the world.
“I’m doing it all over again,” he joked. “It keeps me young, whether I want to be or not.”
When time allows, the family escapes to a small cabin in northern Minnesota where Hummel enjoys fishing, relaxing and unplugging from the day-to-day responsibilities of union leadership.
But whether he’s at a job site, the Capitol or home with family, Hummel keeps his focus on the same goal: building a better future for working people. And for him, that starts with a strong, skilled union workforce — one that raises the bar for everyone.
“Organized labor, our wages and benefits being what they are, keep other people’s wages and benefits high,” Hummel said. “So, whether you’re a union member or not, what we do helps bring everybody up.”
For more information on Jake Hummel's work with the Missouri AFL-CIO, please visit moaflcio.org.