The head of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, said Friday he told President Donald Trump this week that American workers must have input into how the U.S. economy restarts from the coronavirus pandemic.

"Workers have to have a say in how we go back at every level, whether it is in the industrial level, the workplace level," and all levels of government, Trumka said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."

Trumka is a member of the White House's Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, which were announced Tuesday as part of the president's efforts to "open" back up parts of the U.S. economy.

Trump had calls with the various business leaders earlier this week and on Thursday released broad new federal guidelines for easing up on social distancing measures imposed to combat the spread of Covid-19.

The plan does not include any specific dates but includes "phases" that can guide decisions by individual state leaders.

The new White House guidelines follow signs that daily increases in new Covid-19 cases in the U.S. may be slowing.

Trumka, who was first elected to lead the AFL-CIO in 2009, said the safety of workers needs to be central in any plan to reboot portions of the economy.

In particular, the labor leader said there should be an infectious disease workplace standard put in place at the federal level so "workers have a way to know they can be protected."

Trumka said employers would craft a plan "specific to their location" that would detail how they will train workers in new safety protocols, for example. He said he hopes the standard would be mandated in the next coronavirus relief package.