BOSTON, June 1 (UPI) -- Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert Haynes says he is stepping down, calling it the time for a new generation to fight for workers in the state.
"It's time for me to move on. It's time for a new generation," he said.
Haynes, stung by controversy over his $72,000 salary as a Blue Cross Blue Shield director, said he is retiring in October, the Boston Herald reported Wednesday.
He has also been hit with criticism for the company's unanimous board approval of an $11 million retirement package for former chief executive officer Cleve Killingsworth, the newspaper said.
Haynes said criticism was part of the job.
"As the president, you take some lumps once in a while. I get that," he said, adding the AFL-CIO executive board had long been aware of his salary at Blue Cross Blue Shield.
