American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees

What American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees does

AFSCME Council 31 is the Illinois chapter of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the largest union in the AFL-CIO, representing over 90,000 active and retired public-sector and nonprofit workers across the state. Council 31 organizes workers in state and local government, state universities, public schools, healthcare, disability services, and cultural institutions (museums, libraries, zoos), with operations run through six field offices in Chicago, Springfield, Mount Vernon, North Riverside, Rockford, and Urbana, supported by a staff of 51-100 and an elected executive board led by Executive Director Roberta Lynch.

The union's core service is collective bargaining representation: staff representatives and elected stewards run workplace organizing drives (card campaigns, NLRB elections, first-contract ratification), negotiate collective bargaining agreements, and process grievances. Ancillary offerings include the Personal Support Program (an employee assistance program operational since 1992), AFSCME Advantage member discounts, union scholarships, and the PEOPLE political action program. The Cultural Workers United campaign extends organizing into nonprofit cultural employers nationwide, with reported 50,000+ workers organized to date. Council 31 is governed as a member-elected democratic union within the AFL-CIO federation; AFSCME International is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through recurring monthly membership dues paid by active workers (variable by local and sector) and a fixed $3/month retiree membership stream. The business model is subscription-recurring with negligible customer churn risk due to labor law protections on decertification. Recent strategic activity has been twofold: aggressive expansion into new organizing verticals (cultural, healthcare, disability) yielding multiple high-profile contract wins (e.g., Illinois State University's 16.5% wage increase after a 4-week strike, Field Museum's first contract, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's first contract), and active federal litigation defending collective bargaining rights and civil-service protections against Trump administration policy initiatives.

Name

American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees

Legal name

American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees

Website

https://afscme31.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AFSCME Council 31 is the Illinois chapter of the largest AFL-CIO union, representing 90,000+ active and retired public-sector and nonprofit workers across state agencies, universities, schools, healthcare, disability services, and cultural institutions through collective bargaining, organizing campaigns, and member benefits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: Primary revenue from monthly membership dues paid by active and retired public sector workers. Dues provide funding for collective bargaining representation, legal services, political advocacy, member benefits, and union operations.
2. Retiree Chapter Membership Dues: Retiree membership dues of $3 per month, which can be deducted directly from pension payments, supporting retiree advocacy and benefits programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AFSCME is a labor union that represents and organizes public-sector and nonprofit workers, providing collective bargaining representation, contract negotiations, grievance processing, legal support, and political advocacy. The Illinois Council 31 represents more than 90,000 active and retired employees of state, county, and city governments, state universities, local school districts, and nonprofit agencies, and offers additional services such as the Personal Support Program (member counseling), AFSCME Advantage discounts, union scholarships, and a statewide retiree chapter program.

Product overview

AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) is a labor union organization representing public service workers. The organization does not offer technology products or software services. Its core offerings consist of labor union representation, collective bargaining services, member benefits programs (such as AFSCME Advantage for discounts on goods and services), scholarship programs for members and their families, the Personal Support Program (PSP) for employee assistance and counseling services, retiree chapter organization, and political advocacy. These are union services and programs, not technology products or software platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AFSCME Union Membership and Collective Bargaining Representation Subscription-based representation for public-sector and nonprofit workers, providing collective bargaining, contract negotiations, grievance processing, and legal services through elected stewards and staff representatives across six Illinois field offices.
• AFSCME Chapter 31 Retirees Membership Subscription membership for retired public-sector workers, with $3/month dues optionally deducted directly from pension payments; provides retiree advocacy, healthcare information, sub-chapter meetings, and ongoing benefits support.
• Personal Support Program (PSP) Member-only employee assistance program providing professional counseling, support services, and referral resources for AFSCME members and dependents experiencing personal and life changes; reached via a dedicated PSP hotline (1-800-647-8776).
• AFSCME Advantage Member Discount Program No-additional-cost member benefit program offering discounts on travel, cell phone service, auto purchases, entertainment, and credit cards for AFSCME members.
• AFSCME Union Scholarships Annual scholarship program for AFSCME members and their dependents providing education funding opportunities.
• PEOPLE Program (Political Advocacy) Member political-organizing program for voter engagement, legislative contact, and candidate endorsements supporting working-family policy priorities.
• AFSCME Cultural Workers United Organizing Campaign Targeted organizing and representation service for cultural-institution workers at museums, libraries, and zoos, providing collective bargaining representation tailored to that sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• Union members earn 26.2% more than non-union workers; women and minorities earn 29.7-47.1% more
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Joe Biden Presidential CampaignmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2020AFSCME's International Executive Board unanimously endorsed Joe Biden for President in 2020 election cycle.
• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFSCME is a founding member of the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States, providing national political advocacy, shared resources, and collective bargaining support.
• AFGE (American Federation of Government Employees)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFGE represents federal government workers; AFSCME and AFGE have filed joint lawsuits challenging Trump administration policies affecting public employees.
• PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEER and AFSCME are co-plaintiffs in lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's Schedule Policy/Career initiative affecting federal civil servants.
• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFL-CIO joined as co-plaintiff in consolidated legal challenge against Schedule Policy/Career rule targeting federal employees.
• Democracy Forward FoundationmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal representation by Democracy Forward for consolidated legal challenge against Trump-Vance administration's Schedule Policy/Career rule.
• CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal counsel providing representation in lawsuit challenging federal civil service policy changes.
• American Library AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerALA and AFSCME were co-plaintiffs in lawsuit successfully protecting IMLS from Trump administration elimination efforts.
• Nearly 50 employer and union groupsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of nearly 50 employer, union, and patient advocacy groups urged HHS to reform No Surprises Act dispute resolution process.
• Cultural Workers UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFSCME's Cultural Workers United campaign has organized more than 50,000 workers at museums, libraries, and zoos nationwide - the largest cultural worker organizing campaign in the nation.
• We Are One IllinoismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in 'Fix Tier 2' advocacy for pension fairness and Week of Action campaigns.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• United Auto Workers (UAW): Major U.S. labor union representing higher-education and public-sector workers in addition to its industrial base. Comparable operating model in collective bargaining, grievance handling, and political advocacy.
• AFSCME International: Parent organization of AFSCME Council 31, representing 1.4M members nationwide. Council 31 is a wholly operating affiliate within this parent federation; included as the closest structural peer for organizational comparison.
• American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE): Represents federal government workers and a co-litigant with AFSCME on Schedule Policy/Career challenges. Comparable in mission of public-sector advocacy, distinguished by federal vs. state-and-local scope.
• National Education Association (NEA): Largest U.S. labor union focused on public education employees. Overlaps with AFSCME in K-12 support staff, school district workers, and higher-education classifications where Council 31 also organizes.
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): Largest U.S. labor union competing with AFSCME for the same public-sector worker pool, including state/city government, healthcare, and nonprofit employees. Direct substitute for prospective members in Illinois and across the country.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: One of the largest U.S. labor unions organizing public- and private-sector workers. Competes for some municipal and service worker bargaining units in Illinois and nationally.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): AFL-CIO affiliate representing public-sector employees, particularly in education and public services. Competes directly with AFSCME for higher-education and public-employee bargaining units in Illinois.
• United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW): Large AFL-CIO affiliate with overlap in retail, healthcare, and public-sector-adjacent workforces. Comparable scale and dues-funded revenue model to AFSCME.

Broad incumbents

• AFL-CIO: AFSCME's parent federation and the largest U.S. labor federation. Provides national political, legal, and organizing resources that Council 31 leverages; broader in scope, spanning all union affiliates.

Regional players

• Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA): New York-based public-sector union representing state and local government workers. Directly comparable in mission and structure to Council 31 but operates in a different state geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/afscme31
• YouTubeyoutube.com/afscme31
• Facebookfacebook.com/afscme31
• Instagraminstagram.com/afscme31
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-federation-of-state-county-and-municipal-employees

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 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 American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees