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Our Leaders
AFSCME is known to have evolved in its operations with its leaders. Following is the tenure wise evolution of AFSCME leaders.
Arnold Zande
~ 1936-1964 ~In 1934, Zander formed American Federation of Govt. Employees. This organisation focussed only on white-collar service workers, who had legal rights to collectively bargain. However, Zander did not support this. AFSCME, grew slowly from an association protecting civil service systems to a union interested in collective bargaining. It even grew in memberships from 119 locals to just under 4000 members in August of 1936, to 9737 by end of 1936.
Jerry Wurf
~ 1964-1981 ~Wurf emerged as a leader in racial integration. He defeated Zander in 1964 in the international presidential campaign of AFSCME. Under his leadership, AFSCME became known for aggressively recruiting women and blacks. Also during this period, AFSCME adopted a militant form of unionization in parity with private sector workers.
Furthermore, In 1968, AFSCME local 1733, Memphis Tennessee, Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated while supporting a strike by African American sanitation workers union. The 60s ended seeing 1000 workers unionizing each day. Following the same lines, the 70s saw one of the greatest periods of unionization.
In 1973, AFSCME concluded a 3-year organizing campaign of 75000 workers. Also, AFSCME set up its first political action committee in 1971. It supported Presidential bids of George McGovern and Jimmy Carter in 1972 and 1976 respectively. During Wurfs tenure memberships grew from 200000 to one million around 1978.
Gerald McEntee
~ 1981-2012 ~After Wurf’s death in 1981, Gerald McEntee was the elected president of the union. AFSCME kept advancing in memberships throughout the 80s. It voted to endorse the passage of federal, state and local legislation extending civil rights of lesbian and gay citizens in 1982.
It was the first union to support Bill Clinton in his presidential campaign in 1992. It later opposed Clinton's signing of North America Free trade agreement. AFSCME expanded its memberships to Puerto Rico and Panama. It was also one of the early supporters of Obama’s Presidential Campaign in 2008.
Lee Saunders presidency
~ 2012–present ~Lee Saunders was the elected president of AFSCME in 2012 Los Angeles Convention against Danny Donohue. Lee was reelected in 2016 without opposition. AFSCME continues to grow as a union and is growing with its mission to work for the welfare of employees. AFSCME’s history has been documented through its archives in Walter P. Reuther library in Detroit Michigan.
