What AFL-CIO does

AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) is a non-profit labor federation headquartered in Washington, D.C., founded in 1955 through the merger of the American Federation of Labor (1886) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (1935). It is a democratic, voluntary coalition of 65 national and international labor unions representing nearly 15 million working people in the United States, led by President Liz Shuler, the first woman to head the American labor movement. The federation delivers collective bargaining support, workplace safety advocacy, political action, voter mobilization, and operates the largest worker training network outside the U.S. military.

The federation's product portfolio is a mix of advocacy tools, member benefits, and research assets rather than a single unified product. Member-facing products include Union Plus Benefits (wireless, credit cards, mortgages, insurance, scholarships, travel discounts), Executive Paywatch (CEO pay transparency database), Strike Map, the Death on the Job annual safety report (35th edition in 2026), Legislative Scorecard, AFL-CIO TV, Immigration Resources in 30+ languages, and "Form a Union" organizing guides. AFL-CIO also runs the AFL-CIO Tech Institute, which advocates for worker protections in federal AI policy.

The federation is funded through per-capita dues paid by its 65 affiliate unions — a recurring subscription-like revenue model rather than product sales to individuals. AFL-CIO's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: it reaches workers through affiliate unions, grassroots organizing, voter mobilization, and events such as the quadrennial Constitutional Convention. Strategic partnerships anchor its AI-era positioning, including a flagship December 2023 collaboration with Microsoft on responsible AI and worker training, the Human Work Alliance with 70+ international unions representing 140 million workers globally, and coalitions with the Economic Policy Institute and American Federation of Teachers. AFL-CIO is currently engaged in active litigation against the Department of Labor (LMRDA rule) and the FMCSA (non-domiciled CDL rule), and is lobbying against the CLARITY Act and Protect College Sports Act.

Name

AFL-CIO

Legal name

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations

Website

https://aflcio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AFL-CIO is a non-profit federation of 65 national and international labor unions representing nearly 15 million U.S. workers, providing collective bargaining support, advocacy tools, workplace safety research, and member benefits, funded by per-capita dues from its affiliate unions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Per-capita dues from affiliated unions: AFL-CIO is funded through per-capita dues paid by its 65 affiliate unions, which represent nearly 15 million working people. Individual union members pay dues to their respective unions, which contribute a portion to the federation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AFL-CIO is a democratic, voluntary federation of 65 national and international labor unions that collectively bargain on behalf of nearly 15 million working people. The federation provides workplace advocacy, political action, worker organizing resources, the largest training network outside the U.S. military, and the Union Plus member benefits program offering credit cards, mortgages, insurance, wireless discounts, scholarships, and travel deals to union members.

Product overview

AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) is a democratic federation of 65 national and international labor unions representing nearly 15 million working people. Rather than a single unified product, AFL-CIO operates a portfolio of advocacy tools, member benefits, and research resources including: Union Plus Benefits (offering credit cards, mortgages, insurance, and discounts), Executive Paywatch (CEO pay transparency database), Strike Map (strike tracking visualization), Death on the Job annual safety reports, Legislative Scorecard (lawmaker voting tracker), AFL-CIO TV (video content platform), Immigration Resources (Know Your Rights materials in 30+ languages), and Form a Union organizing guides. The organization also operates the largest training network outside the U.S. military and provides digital organizing tools for union activists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Union Plus Benefits: A benefit program offering union members discounts on wireless, credit cards, mortgages, insurance, scholarships, travel, and entertainment.
• AFLCIO.tv

Products and services

• Union Plus Benefits A comprehensive member benefits program offering wireless discounts (AT&T), credit cards (Capital One), mortgages, insurance plans (auto, home, renters, life, accident, Medicare), scholarships, and travel/entertainment discounts for union members and their families.
• Executive Paywatch Annual report and interactive database tracking CEO pay at S&P 500 companies, including CEO-to-worker pay ratios, pay by industry, pay by state, and analysis of economic inequality.
• Strike Map Interactive map showing where workers are on strike across the United States, tracking strikes authorized by AFL-CIO affiliates with location details and strike reports.
• Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect Annual comprehensive report tracking workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses, featuring national and state data on job safety enforcement, OSHA resources, and policy recommendations. The 2026 edition marks the 35th year of publication.
• Legislative Scorecard Voting record tracker showing how legislators voted on issues affecting workers' rights, jobs, pay, benefits, and quality of life, with lifetime scores and key votes documented.
• AFL-CIO TV Video streaming platform for AFL-CIO content including the 30th Constitutional Convention coverage, general sessions, speeches, and labor movement programming.
• Form a Union Resource center for workers looking to organize unions, including information on organizing wins, union difference facts, and contact information for union organizers.
• Your Rights at Work Comprehensive guide to workplace rights covering topics including age discrimination, disability rights, fair labor standards, family leave, gender discrimination, workplace safety, unemployment benefits, and wage theft.
• Immigration Resources Know Your Rights resources available in 30+ languages, including palm cards, flyers, safe workplace posters, and TPS (Temporary Protected Status) information to help union members and immigrant workers know their legal rights.

Quantifiable outcome

• Union members earn 11.2% higher wages than nonunion counterparts
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and flagship.

• IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Labor groups IBEW and AFL-CIO together generated nearly twice as many supporters as opponents at the Unified Government of Wyandotte County meeting approving Accelergen's East Side Energy Storage project, advocating for local jobs and energy cost control.
• Human Work AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Coalition of 70+ international labor unions representing 140 million workers launched at the Global Labour Summit in Geneva. Includes AFL-CIO, Unite the Union, Writers Guild of America, and SAG-AFTRA. Launching coordinated lobbying campaigns in Brussels and Washington D.C. for legislation taxing autonomous AI systems and requiring human decision-makers in critical business processes.
• Economic Policy Institute, We Build Progress, and WorkshopmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Coalition of more than 40 organizations led by Economic Policy Institute, We Build Progress, AFL-CIO Tech Institute, and Workshop delivered a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to center workers in federal AI legislation.
• Sierra Club, League of Women Voters, Climate + Energy ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Environmental organizations and labor groups AFL-CIO and IBEW successfully pushed for amendments expanding project size limits and removing battery storage prohibition for Shawnee County's solar energy ordinance.
• Professional Women's Hockey League Players Association (PWHLPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026PWHLPA affiliated with AFL-CIO, becoming the 65th union in America's largest labor federation and the 10th players association in AFL-CIO's sports council. Affiliation provides 184 players with additional resources and collective bargaining strength.
• American Federation of TeacherscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Second-largest teachers union partnered with OpenAI and Anthropic on its National Academy for AI Instruction launched in July. AFL-CIO's inaugural Workers First AI Summit featured Randi Weingarten criticizing humanoid robot proposals.
• MicrosoftflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Partnership announced December 2023 focusing on training and responsible AI policies. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler highlighted this as a model for collaboration on AI development with worker input. The partnership represents AFL-CIO's strategy to position unions as strategic partners for companies navigating the AI era.
• MicrosoftflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Microsoft and AFL-CIO partnership announced December 2023 serves as model for integrating worker feedback into AI development, with meaningful worker input through unions essential to address AI displacement concerns.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: The Teamsters is one of the largest and most influential US labor unions with around 1.3 million members across transportation, logistics, and warehousing. It is comparable as a major AFL-CIO affiliate (and previously affiliated during prior breakaway periods) with similar collective bargaining, political action, and organizing capabilities.
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): SEIU is a 2-million-member AFL-CIO affiliate representing healthcare, property services, and public sector workers. It is directly comparable as one of the federation's largest affiliates and a major force in labor organizing, political campaigns, and AI-related worker policy.
• Change to Win: Change to Win is the primary competing US labor federation, formed in 2005 by several unions that disaffiliated from AFL-CIO. It represents millions of workers across service, hospitality, and construction sectors and directly competes for union affiliations, political influence, and organizing targets.
• National Education Association (NEA): The NEA is the largest US labor union with roughly 3 million members, representing educators and public employees. It is comparable to AFL-CIO's largest affiliates as a single mega-union with political action, training, and collective bargaining capacity, though it operates more independently than the typical AFL-CIO affiliate.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): AFT is a major AFL-CIO-affiliated union of 1.7 million educators, public employees, and healthcare workers. It is comparable as a flagship AFL-CIO affiliate that engages in parallel education, AI policy, and political advocacy activities - notably including a separate partnership with OpenAI and Anthropic on its National Academy for AI Instruction.

Regional players

• Trades Union Congress (TUC): The TUC is the UK's national labor federation, representing 49 affiliated unions and roughly 5.5 million members. Comparable as a peer national federation structure with similar collective bargaining, political advocacy, and training functions, but operating across the UK rather than the United States.
• Canadian Labour Congress (CLC): The CLC is Canada's largest labor federation, representing 3 million workers across 55 national and international unions. It is directly comparable as a North American peer federation with similar political action, organizing, and policy advocacy functions, but operating primarily in Canada.

Emerging players

• SAG-AFTRA: SAG-AFTRA is a US labor union representing roughly 150,000 performers, broadcasters, and media professionals, and is a co-convener of the Human Work Alliance alongside AFL-CIO. It is comparable as a member-driven union engaging in major collective bargaining actions and AI-rights advocacy that overlaps with AFL-CIO's policy priorities.

Others

• Economic Policy Institute (EPI): EPI is a US policy think tank closely aligned with the labor movement, co-leading a 40+ organization coalition with AFL-CIO Tech Institute on federal AI legislation. It is comparable as a partner organization supporting AFL-CIO's research, data, and policy advocacy infrastructure rather than as a direct peer union.

Broad incumbents

• International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC): The ITUC is the world's largest trade union federation, representing 200 million workers through national affiliates including AFL-CIO. It is comparable as the global apex labor organization analogous to AFL-CIO at the international level, with overlapping policy agenda and member-driven governance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AFLCIO
• YouTubeyoutube.com/aflcio
• Facebookfacebook.com/aflcio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/162327
• Instagraminstagram.com/aflcio
• TikToktiktok.com/@aflcio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFL-CIO