Metro Washington Council

What Metro Washington Council does

The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO (MWC) is a regional central labor body founded in 1896 that coordinates 150+ affiliated union locals representing more than 150,000 workers across Washington, DC and five Maryland counties (Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary's). The council operates as an AFL-CIO chartered federation rather than a direct-membership union; its affiliates span public sector, education, healthcare, transit, service, hospitality, building trades, entertainment, and other industries, with named affiliates including AFGE, AFSCME, APWU, ATU Local 689, IBEW, NNU, DCNA, Unite Here, SAG-AFTRA, 32BJ, Ironworkers, LIUNA, Plumbers, and OPEIU.

MWC's core service portfolio centers on political action via the Committee on Political Education (COPE) — which issues electoral endorsements and powers priority campaigns — mobilization support (strike assistance, rallies, delegate meetings), movement building through apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, and direct member services through its affiliated Community Services Agency (emergency financial assistance, Holiday Basket Program). The organization also operates the annual Evening with Labor awards dinner (47th year in 2026), which functions as both a movement-building event and a fundraising vehicle with named Platinum Sponsors including IBEW, IAM, Regan Associates, and Washington Gas.

The business model is membership-funded: MWC is sustained by per-capita dues paid by affiliated union locals rather than commercial revenue or philanthropic grants. Governance is through a delegate body with elected officers including President Samuel Epps, 1st Vice President Herb Harris, and Treasurer Christopher Roell. The organization is not investor-backed, does not raise equity, and is structurally accountable to its affiliates through AFL-CIO charter rather than external shareholders.

Name

Metro Washington Council

Legal name

Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO

Website

https://dclabor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO is a regional labor federation founded in 1896 that coordinates 150+ affiliated union locals representing 150,000+ workers across Washington, DC and five Maryland counties through political action, mobilization, and apprenticeship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Dues: The organization is funded through per-capita dues paid by its 150+ affiliated union locals. These dues support the council's operations, advocacy work, political campaigns, and member services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO is a regional labor federation that coordinates 150+ affiliated union locals representing 150,000+ workers across Washington, DC and five Maryland counties. It delivers mobilization support during strikes and rallies, runs the COPE political action committee for endorsements and priority campaigns, operates apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, provides claimant advocacy for unemployment and workplace disputes, and channels emergency assistance through the Community Services Agency. Services are funded by per-capita dues from affiliated locals and provided at no additional cost to members and affiliates.

Product overview

The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO is a labor union federation (not a technology company) offering programs and services for union members and workers. The organization operates as a unified platform of services including union affiliation programs, political action through COPE, workforce development through apprenticeships, community services including emergency assistance, and annual events such as the Evening with Labor awards dinner. These services are provided at no cost to affiliated unions and workers in the DC region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Join a Union Program
• Claimant Advocacy
• Apprenticeships
• Community Services Agency Social services agency operating as the charitable arm of the Council, providing emergency assistance, holiday basket programs, and support for union members experiencing financial hardship.
• COPE (Committee on Political Education) Political action committee that makes electoral endorsements and powers priority campaigns for labor-friendly candidates in DC and Maryland elections.
• Voter Guides Published endorsement guides for elections in DC, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County, helping union members and the public make informed voting decisions.
• Delegates Meetings Monthly governance meetings of union delegates to the Council, held on the third Monday of each month at various affiliated union locations to coordinate regional labor activity.
• Evening with Labor Awards Dinner Annual flagship awards dinner (47th annual as of 2026) celebrating labor leaders and movement achievements across multiple award categories, including Organizing Award, COPE Award, Legal Champion Award, and Vanguard Award.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150,000+ workers represented across industries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan Washington Council is an AFL-CIO affiliated labor council. The AFL-CIO provides national coordination, policy direction, and support for state and area labor councils like MWC. MWC participates in national AFL-CIO conventions and initiatives.
• Community Services AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA charitable arm of the MWC providing emergency assistance to union members experiencing financial hardship. Runs programs including Holiday Basket Program, Golf Tournament fundraiser, Bowling for Gold tournament, and Labor Night at the Nats to raise funds for the Emergency Assistance Fund.
• Northern Virginia Labor Federation, AFL-CIOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional ally in the broader DC-Northern Virginia labor movement. Hosts joint events like holiday parties and coordinates on labor issues affecting the metro area.
• Affiliated Union Locals (150+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMNC's 150+ affiliated union locals including AFGE, AFSCME, APWU, ATU Local 689, BAC, BLET, IUPAT, Ironworkers, LIUNA, DCNA, NNU, NPEU, OPEIU, Plumbers, 32BJ, UFCW 400, UH Locals, WTU, IBEW, 99, 1199, SAG-AFTRA, and others represent 150,000+ workers across the region.
• Jews United for JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for joint events including the annual Labor Seder, combining labor and social justice advocacy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Education Association (NEA): Large national labor union and professional membership organization for educators, with state and local affiliates. While sector-specific, it operates a directly analogous model to MWC: member-funded, governance by delegates, political action, and member services at scale.

Regional players

• Texas AFL-CIO: State AFL-CIO federation operating across Texas, providing the same union-coordination, political endorsement, and workforce development services as MWC but in a politically distinct (right-to-work) jurisdiction — offering a useful contrast on policy environment.
• California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO: California's state AFL-CIO federation, coordinating hundreds of affiliated locals across multiple jurisdictions. Directly comparable to MWC in function (political action, organizing, member services) with similar operating model but vastly larger scale.
• New York State AFL-CIO: A statewide central labor body affiliated with the AFL-CIO, operating in a different but comparable progressive-heavy state labor market. Mirrors MWC's role of coordinating affiliated locals, political endorsements, and apprenticeship programs at a much larger jurisdictional scale.
• Chicago Federation of Labor: Regional central labor body in the Chicago metro area, coordinating affiliated union locals for political action and organizing. Highly comparable to MWC in structure and metropolitan scope, with similar focus on apprenticeship and labor-community coalitions.
• Pennsylvania AFL-CIO: Statewide AFL-CIO federation coordinating affiliated locals, political endorsements, and apprenticeship pathways in Pennsylvania. Operates a similar central-labor-body model to MWC across a multi-jurisdictional footprint with comparable member-service programs.
• Michigan AFL-CIO: Statewide AFL-CIO federation coordinating affiliates across Michigan, with comparable responsibilities in political action, organizing, and apprenticeship programs. Mirrors MWC's central-labor-body role at a larger scale and in a major unionized manufacturing region.

Broad incumbents

• AFL-CIO: National labor federation and the parent organization of the Metropolitan Washington Council. Directly comparable as the apex body coordinating state and area labor councils, with overlapping political action, organizing, and member-service missions at far greater national scale.

Others

• Strategic Organizing Center (SOC): Federation of major unions (formerly Change to Win), operating as a parallel labor-federation structure to the AFL-CIO. Functions as an alternative organizing and political coalition for affiliated unions, comparable to MWC's coordination role but at a multi-national scale.
• Jobs With Justice: National labor-community coalition network that convenes unions, community groups, and faith organizations for worker justice campaigns. Comparable to MWC in mobilizing community-labor partnerships and political action, with overlapping affiliate network in the DC region (DC Jobs with Justice was a 2026 awardee).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/dclabor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metro-washington-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Metro Washington Council