How does the AFL-CIO make money?
Andrew Mclaughlin
Published Mar 13, 2026
Revenue primarily comes from two sources: memberships dues and royalties. In 2018, $72 million of the $119 million (61%) came from memberships dues while $38 million (32% of total revenue) came from royalties. Expenses totaled $100 million (84% of total revenue) in 2018 – $19 million less than the revenue raised.
Is AFL-CIO a labor union?
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) works tirelessly to improve the lives of working people. We are the democratic, voluntary federation of 56 national and international labor unions that represent 12.5 million working men and women.
Is a union a government agency?
Private sector unions are regulated by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), passed in 1935 and amended since then. The law is overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent federal agency. Public sector unions are regulated partly by federal and partly by state laws.
Are the Teamsters AFL-CIO affiliated?
The Teamsters joined the Service Employees International Union, the largest AFL-CIO affiliate with 1.8 million members, in bolting. The SEIU is a union that AFL-CIO President John Sweeney once headed.
Why did the CIO and AFL split?
The CIO originally split from the AFL because it favored industrial unions over craft unions. The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) originally split from the American Federation of Labor (AFL) because it favored industrial unions over craft unions. After years of rivalry, the two organizations merged in 1955.
What is the goal of AFL-CIO?
The mission of the AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families — to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our nation.
What is the largest union today?
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is the country’s largest union for public service employees. With more than 1.6 million active and retired members, it consists of nurses, child-care workers, EMTs, correction officers, sanitation workers and more.
What is the largest union in the US?
The AFL-CIO
The AFL-CIO is the largest union federation in the U.S., made up of 55 national and international unions with 12.5 million members worldwide. Its member unions span from the Actors Equity Association to the Utility Workers Union of America.
Is the AFL still a union today?
In 1955, the AFL merged with the CIO to create the AFL-CIO, which has comprised the longest lasting and most influential labor federation in the United States to this day….American Federation of Labor.
| American Federation of Labor (AFL) | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York City; later Washington, D.C. |
| Location | United States |
Why did the Teamsters leave the AFL-CIO?
And I’m Renee Montagne. The AFL-CIO has lost two of its biggest unions. The Teamsters and the Service Employees say they’re leaving because the AFL-CIO won’t adopt their strategy to save organized labor.
What is the difference between the AFL and the CIO?
The leaders of the CIO felt that the organization must begin to recognize the masses of unskilled workers in large industries such as steelmaking and automobile manufacturing, whereas the AFL remained committed to its craft unionism approach, in which only skilled workers were organized.
Is the AFL-CIO successful?
Under Sweeney and the federation’s former political director Steven Rosenthal (who subsequently founded America Coming Together), the AFL-CIO has been tremendously successful in increasing turnout among voters in union households through coordinated worker-to-worker contact.
What is the strongest union in the US?
30 Most Powerful Unions in America
- National Education Association of the United States (NEA)
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Can I refuse to join a union?
Answer: You may not be required to be a union member. Even if there is such a provision in the agreement, the most that can be required of you is to pay the union fees (generally called an “agency fee.”) Most employees are not told by their employer and union that full union membership cannot lawfully be required.
Does the AFL-CIO still exist?
Union membership in the USA peaked in 1979, when the AFL–CIO’s affiliated unions had nearly twenty million members….AFL–CIO.
| American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations | |
|---|---|
| Location | United States |
| Members | 12,741,859 (2014) |
| Key people | Richard Trumka, president |
| Affiliations | ITUC |
Is UFCW part of AFL-CIO?
UFCW is affiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the AFL-CIO; it disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO in 2005 but reaffiliated in 2013. UFCW is also affiliated to UNI Global Union and the IUF.
