American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest union of public employees and health care workers in the United States, representing more than 1 million people. The membership includes employees of state, county, and municipal governments, of the federal government, and of universities and nonprofit agencies. Health and hospital workers compose the largest occupational group; white-collar employees account for about one-third of the membership. The AFSCME also has two special occupational divisions within the union—United Nurses of America, which represents 50,000 registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and AFSCME Corrections United, which represents 50,000 employees at correctional facilities.

The AFSCME is organized into about 3000 local unions and 70 district councils, which adopt their own constitutions, elect their own officers, and administer local affairs. The International Union in Washington, D.C., provides legislative, organizational, legal, educational, and public information services. Its executive board determines policy and programs. The union is affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. The AFSCME, which began as a number of separate locals in Wisconsin in the early 1930s, is among the fastest-growing unions in the United States.

Reviewed by: American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees