Public Employee Department
# Public Employee Department

The Public Employee Department was a division of the AFL-CIO, bringing together unions representing government workers.

The Government Employees' Council of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded in 1945. When the AFL merged into the AFL-CIO, the council was maintained, and by 1963 it had more than 20 union affiliates. In 1974, a new Public Employee Department was founded, absorbing the council. On formation, it had 24 affiliated unions, representing more than 2 million public employees.

By the 1990s, the department's focus was on developing a framework for labour and management co-operation. It was dissolved in 1998.

## Presidents

    1974: Howie McClennan
    1981: Ken Blaylock
    1985: Gerald McEntee
    1988: Al Bilik
