American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is a labor union in the United States. Its history began in 1932, when a small group of white-collar professional state employees met in Madison, Wisconsin, and formed what would later become Wisconsin State Employees Union/Council 24, with the aim of promoting, defending and enhancing the civil service system. AFSCME members work in hundreds of different occupations, from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers, and the union advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services, and prosperity and opportunity for all working families. Its leadership includes President Patrick Moran and Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Pollard.

AFSCME was founded during the Great Depression on the idea that a professional civil service is essential to a strong democracy. In 1932, a small group of white-collar, professional employees in Madison, Wisconsin, fearing they would lose their civil service jobs to political patronage, formed the Wisconsin State Employees Association (WSEA), which would later become Council 24 (Wisconsin State Employees Union). In 1933, WSEA members held meetings, marched, demonstrated and lobbied hard in the state Legislature to defeat a bill that would have dismantled the state civil service system. In 1935, similar employee associations emerged in 19 states; at the American Federation of Labor (AFL) convention, the group, now known as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), was made a 'department' of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). In 1936, AFSCME was granted a charter by the AFL, and Arnold Zander was chosen as AFSCME's first International president after he formed a coalition of 20 public sector locals around the country. In 1938, 2,000 sanitation workers in Philadelphia went on strike to protest layoffs and pay cuts and won AFSCME's first bargaining agreement with a major city. From 1936 to 1945, AFSCME focused on lobbying in state legislatures to pass or strengthen civil service laws, and membership increased from 10,000 to 73,000.

• 2020

  Marciano Art Foundation reaches settlement with laid-off employees

  The Marciano Art Foundation reached a private settlement with 70 visitor services associates laid off after announcing a union drive. The agreement provides each laid-off employee with 10 weeks of severance pay, and AFSCME will withdraw its unfair-labor-practice charge.

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1. 1American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)afscme.org
2. 2History - AFSCMEafscme.org
3. 3About AFSCME - AFSCMEafscme.org
4. 4Careers at AFSCME - AFSCMEafscme.org
5. 5American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employeeswikidata.org
6. 6Marciano Art Foundation reaches settlement with laid-off employeeslatimes.com