Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO

What Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO does

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a non-profit coalition of 24 national unions operating as a department within the AFL-CIO federation. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., DPE represents over 4 million professional and technical union members across more than 300 occupations spanning education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration. The organization operates with a small core staff of 1-10 employees and functions as a policy advocacy and organizing support body rather than a commercial enterprise.

DPE's core activities center on federal and legislative policy advocacy for professional workers, collective bargaining support, and coalition coordination across its affiliate unions. Its principal product surface consists of policy letters, fact sheets, research materials, press releases, and blog content distributed through dpeaflcio.org and affiliated sub-brands including the Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industries (AEMI) Coalition, the Coalition for Professional Integrity, and the Nonprofit Union Coalition. The organization does not offer commercial software, APIs, or technology products.

DPE's business model is non-commercial: it is funded through the AFL-CIO federation and does not charge for services. Its "customers" are its 24 affiliate unions and the millions of professional workers they represent. Leadership is provided by an elected President (Jennifer Dorning, in office since 2018), supported by a First Vice President, Treasurer, and General Board Chair drawn from affiliate unions. The organization's strategic priorities include immigration reform (H-1B, L-1, O, P visas), professional integrity in the federal sector, AI safeguards for creative and professional workers, copyright protection, and nonprofit-sector union organizing.

Name

Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO

Legal name

Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO

Website

https://dpeaflcio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DPE is a non-profit coalition of 24 AFL-CIO national unions representing over 4 million professional and technical workers across 300+ occupations, providing policy advocacy, organizing support, and collective bargaining resources in healthcare, education, technology, arts, and public administration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DPE is a labor union coalition department within the AFL-CIO that brings together 24 national unions to advocate for the workplace rights and professional interests of more than 6.6 million professional and technical workers. Its core deliverable is policy advocacy on immigration, federal professional integrity, arts/entertainment/media industries, and nonprofit sector labor issues, supported by fact sheets, policy letters, press releases, and coalition programs such as AEMI, the Nonprofit Union Coalition, and the Coalition for Professional Integrity.

Product overview

Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a labor union coalition organization, not a product company. It operates an informational website that provides policy advocacy, publications, fact sheets, press releases, blog posts, and union organizing resources for its member unions. The organization does not offer commercial products, modules, or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AEMI (Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industries) Coalition: A coalition of 12 national unions representing professionals in arts, entertainment, and media industries, focused on public policy, AI safeguards, copyright protection, and federal support for nonprofit arts and public media.

Products and services

• AEMI Coalition (Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industries) A coalition of 12 national unions led by DPE that serves as the labor movement's leading public policy voice for arts, entertainment, and media professionals, focusing on human-centric AI policies, federal arts support, copyright protection, and DEIA.
• Nonprofit Union Coalition A DPE-led coalition bringing together unions representing workers across the nonprofit sector's 12.7-million-person workforce to provide nonprofit union members a voice in federal policymaking and deepen the sector's economic strength and sustainability.
• Coalition for Professional Integrity A coalition of organizations advancing policies to protect and promote professional integrity across the federal sector, including AFGE, AFT, IFPTE, IAM, NFFE, and other union partners.
• Immigration Policy Advocacy Program DPE's ongoing policy advocacy on higher-skilled temporary work visa programs (H-1B, L-1, O, and P visas), the American Dream and Promise Act, the Keep STEM Talent Act, and other immigration legislation affecting professional workers, Dreamers, TPS holders, lawful permanent residents, and U.S. citizens.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Coalition for Professional IntegritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPE is a founding member of the Coalition for Professional Integrity, established in response to reports that federal employees have been pressured to compromise professional standards. The coalition is committed to protecting and promoting professional integrity across the federal sector through policy advocacy.
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industries (AEMI) CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEMI is the labor movement's leading public policy voice for the arts, entertainment, and media sectors. Led by DPE, the coalition is comprised of 12 national unions representing a wide array of professionals. AEMI focuses on human-centric AI policies, federal arts support, copyright protection, and DEIA.
• Nonprofit Union CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by DPE, the Nonprofit Union Coalition brings together unions representing workers across the nonprofit sector's 12.7-million-person workforce. The coalition provides nonprofit union members with a voice in federal policymaking to deepen the sector's economic strength and sustainability.
• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPE is a department within the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the United States. DPE serves as the coalition of unions representing professional and technical workers within the broader AFL-CIO structure.
• Actors' Equity Association (AEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing actors and stage managers working in theater, film, and television
• Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing performers in recorded media including film, television, digital, and interactive media
• Writers Guild of America East (WGAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing writers in motion pictures, television, radio, book publishing, news, and other media
• Directors Guild of America (DGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing directors and directorial teams in film, television, new media, and commercial production
• American Federation of Musicians (AFM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing professional musicians
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing technicians, craftspeople, and allied trades in entertainment
• American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing singers, dancers, and stage managers in opera and dance
• Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing directors and choreographers
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing electrical workers, including broadcast technicians
• Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing office and professional employees
• American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing variety artists including comedians and cabaret performers
• Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember union of the AEMI coalition representing Italian-American entertainment professionals
• American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member in the Coalition for Professional Integrity, representing federal government employees
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member in the Coalition for Professional Integrity, representing teachers and education professionals
• International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member in the Coalition for Professional Integrity, representing professional engineers and technical workers
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member in the Coalition for Professional Integrity, representing machinists and aerospace workers
• National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member in the Coalition for Professional Integrity, representing federal sector employees

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AFL-CIO: Parent federation of which DPE is a constituent department. Comparable as the largest U.S. labor federation coordinating advocacy and collective bargaining across affiliated unions, of which DPE is the professional-workers arm.
• Strategic Organizing Center: Competing labor federation (formerly Change to Win) representing several major unions including SEIU, Teamsters, and UNITE HERE. Comparable as a parallel labor-federation model that coordinates policy and organizing for affiliated unions.
• Service Employees International Union: One of the largest North American unions, representing healthcare, public-sector, and property-services workers. Comparable as a major union operating in sectors that overlap with DPE's professional-worker coalition (e.g., healthcare professionals, federal workers).
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: Large diversified union representing workers across logistics, manufacturing, professional services, and more. Comparable as a major union federation engaged in collective bargaining, policy advocacy, and political mobilization.

Direct peers

• National Education Association: Largest U.S. professional union representing K-12 teachers, higher-education faculty, and education support professionals. Highly comparable as a professional/technical union in DPE's education vertical with a similar collective-bargaining and policy-advocacy mandate.
• American Federation of Teachers: Major DPE affiliate union representing teachers, healthcare professionals, and public employees. Comparable as a large professional union that both affiliates with DPE and operates substantial independent organizing, collective bargaining, and policy work.
• National Nurses United: Large professional union representing registered nurses across the U.S. Comparable as a professional/technical union in DPE's healthcare vertical that combines collective bargaining with policy advocacy on healthcare staffing and patient safety.
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers: DPE affiliate representing machinists, aerospace, and technical workers. Comparable as a large technical/professional union that both affiliates with DPE and operates collective bargaining across the manufacturing and federal-contractor sectors.

Others

• International Trade Union Confederation: Global labor-federation umbrella connecting national trade union centers worldwide. Comparable as a higher-order labor-federation model that coordinates policy and representation across member labor organizations, though it operates globally rather than domestically.
• Economic Policy Institute: Nonprofit think tank focused on economic policy affecting working people, closely affiliated with the labor movement. Comparable as a labor-aligned policy and research organization supporting union advocacy priorities, though focused on research rather than direct organizing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dpeaflcio
• Facebookfacebook.com/dpeaflcio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-for-professional-employees-afl-cio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO