The February numbers are in. AFGE’s membership now stands at 300,055, reaching the 300,000-membership mark for the first time in years. A net increase of 1,397 pushed the union to the finish line at least a month early.
“When we put the call out to our locals and activists to ramp up our organizing efforts, you delivered,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley. “From one-on-one conversations to large-scale organizing events, we have shown our organizing power.
AFGE’s new goal is to reach 325,000 members by the end of 2025.
“With the commitment you've shown to help us reach this point, I know we'll be on track to exceed this goal as well,” Kelley added. “Let's continue to work together to bring more federal and DC government workers into the AFGE family.”
The 300,000-membership mark represents a new era for union members who were repeatedly attacked during the Trump administration. Trump’s anti-worker stance drove employees to leave their federal jobs or retire. His anti-union executive orders, for example, targeted workplace rights and made it harder for unions to represent employees. Agencies threw out existing contracts and replaced them with illegal management directives. They kicked union reps out of union offices and used the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to attack workers.
Then in 2020, Covid hit, making it hard to recruit new members. A lot of workers also left the government or retired during the pandemic.
“AFGE’s story has always been one of growth and empowerment, and the climb back from the harm caused by the Trump EOs and COVID is no exception,” said AFGE Membership and Organization Director Dave Cann. “Folks are joining AFGE in record numbers – our fastest rate of growth in over 13 years.”
AFGE did that by mobilizing union households to get Biden elected. Three days after taking office, Biden repealed Trump’s executive orders, and AFGE’s membership started to bounce back. We changed our organizing approach and went online during the pandemic, so people could continue to connect with AFGE and their fellow union members. We also emphasized empowerment and involvement of workers to effect change in their workplaces and have a voice at work.
“Who is AFGE? You are. You are this union, and your membership and participation are necessary,” he added. “That message makes a difference not just in growth but in engagement. When we fight for better pay, staffing, and support for workplace issues, we do it as a union 300,000 strong. We own our union together, we build power together, and we win more victories together.”
As for the new goal of reaching 325,000 dues-paying members by the end of 2025, Cann said we’re not just on-track but ahead of schedule!
Check out our latest video about this organizing achievement:
In an early victory for government workers, a federal judge has granted a limited temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from implementing its deferred resignation program and suspending the Feb. 6 midnight deadline for federal employees to respond.