Early history Federal and postal employees have been granted the right to join and form labor organizations since the
Lloyd–La Follette Act of 1912. The act also prohibits federal employees from
striking. Prior to the establishment of AFGE, a small number of federal workers were represented by the
Knights of Labor and the
National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE). The NFFE received a charter from the
American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1917. AFGE was founded in August 1932 by local unions affiliated with the AFL that broke away from the NFFE after it became independent of the AFL. AFGE's motto was established as "To Do For All That Which No One Can Do For Oneself". Its original emblem was a shield with the stars and stripes and the words "Justice, Fraternity, Progress". AFGE’s constituent units were referred to as
lodges until 1968, when they were renamed
locals. A local may represent a single
bargaining unit or multiple bargaining units, depending on the agency. and the MaxHR personnel system at the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The union also supported legislative changes intended to create a more balanced process for contracting-out decisions affecting federal employees. Employees of the
Transportation Security Administration, part of DHS, elected AFGE as their union representative in June 2011, adding approximately 39,000 workers to the union’s representation. The union chose blue and gold as the union's official colors at its national convention in August 2015. Since then, the current emblem is three workers supporting a globe with a map of the United States and the words "Proud to Make America Work". AFGE formally ended its representation of officers within
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2022. The affected employees had been represented by AFGE’s National ICE Council, which had experienced internal disagreements with the union’s national leadership. In July 2022, AFGE filed a disclaimer of interest with the FLRA, and in August 2022 the FLRA granted the request, revoking AFGE’s certification and dissolving the bargaining unit, thereby ending the formal relationship. In April 2025, a coalition of labor unions including AFGE, non-profit organizations, and local governments sued President
Donald Trump, United States federal executive departments, and Trump's second cabinet over the
federal mass layoffs in his second term in the lawsuit
AFGE v. Trump. The union also sued over Executive Order 14251, which removed collective bargaining rights for employees in over 40 federal agencies and subdivisions deemed to have primary missions in
national security. During his second term, Trump also eliminated the option of automatic payroll deductions of dues for federal employees. ==Organization==