American Federation of Government Employees

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is an American labor union representing over 820,000 employees of the federal government and the District of Columbia as of 2022. AFGE is the largest union for civilian, non-postal federal employees and the largest union for District of Columbia employees who report directly to the mayor (i.e., outside of D.C. public schools). It is affiliated with the AFL–CIO.

AFGE is a federation of local unions, with each local maintaining autonomy through operating under local constitutions that comply with the AFGE national constitution ratified during its founding in 1932. Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C.

Labor relations in the federal sector are governed by the Federal Labor Relations Authority, an independent federal agency, and federal sector unions have recourse to binding arbitration and to the Federal Services Impasses Panel to resolve impasses. Under 5 U.S.C. § 7311 and 18 U.S.C. § 1918, federal employees are prohibited from striking against the United States government, and doing so is a criminal offense.