FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2015
October 26, 2015
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-639-6405/202-374-6491
[email protected]
Largest Federal Employee Union Hits New Heights as AFGE Membership Hits 300K
Categories:
Big Enough to Win, AFGE National President
“Remarkable achievement” amid political attacks on labor unions, working people, union president says
WASHINGTON – The American Federation of Government Employees has reached 300,000 active members for the first time in modern history, an historic milestone that caps 24 consecutive years of membership growth.
“This is a remarkable achievement, especially in light of the continued threats to labor unions in general and public sector unions in particular,” AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said.
“In a political climate that is becoming increasingly hostile to organized labor and the rights of working people to bargain collectively, federal employees understand that there is tremendous power in coming together in the workplace and speaking with one collective voice.”
AFGE reached the 300,000 member mark on October 26, 2015 as an employee at the Federal Bureau of Prisons joined the union. AFGE reached 200,000 members at the end of 2002. The next benchmark is 500,000 members.
“Everyone who is a member of AFGE joins because they want to be part of something bigger than themselves,” Cox said.
Cox encouraged federal and D.C. government employees who do not yet belong to AFGE to consider joining today. Employees can sign up at www.afge.org/join.
“Being a union member means looking out for everyone in the workplace, not just your own self-interest. It’s about lifting up those individuals whose voices are otherwise silenced. It’s about joining together in solidarity to fight for better working conditions not just in your own workplace but in workplaces across the country and around the world,” Cox said.
Growing the union is one of the four main objectives of AFGE’s Big Enough to Win plan, which is the union’s roadmap for the next decade. AFGE has added new organizers to help locals with recruiting efforts, held Organizing Institutes and train-the-trainer sessions to improve our organizing efforts, and held many recruitment drives at workplaces across the country.
“We have gotten to where we are today by building a culture where organizing occurs every single day of the year,” Cox said.
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