Women's Department
Since 1985, the Women's Director, and now National Vice President for Women’s and Fair Practices, has supervised both the Women's and the Fair Practices Departments, an arrangement formalized into Article XI of the AFGE Constitution by the 1997 Convention. The Women's Department supports a broad spectrum of issues of priority to today's working families.
At the current time, the Women's Department consists of the elected National Vice President for Women's and Fair Practices (who sits on the National Executive Council), a Secretary, Special Assistant to NVP, Supervisory Attorney, Program Manager, Program Specialist, and a Field Support Secretary. Since the Supervisory Attorney and the Program Manager serve both the Women's and Fair Practices Departments, funding for the positions are divided equally between the two Departments.
The Women's Department advances AFGE members' interest focusing on family/medical leave, equal pay, child care, sexual harassment, domestic violence (and its impact on the workplace), advocacy and training.
For example, the Women's Department was instrumental in redefining the child care debate to address the fundamental affordability concern of government employees. Since Congress passed AFGE-sponsored legislation permitting child care subsidies for our members, the Department has provided guidance and direction in bargaining to our Councils and Locals; staff has directly participated in the negotiations upon request. The establishment of child care tuition assistance programs translates into meaningful financial benefits for our members.
The Women's and Fair Practices Departments sponsor the Human Rights Training Conference featuring twelve multi-level training tracks. This week-long national training conference is held every year between conventions, and now attracts over 600 AFGE activists.
The National Vice President for Women and Fair Practices oversees the Human Rights Committee's (HRC) travel and budget, and facilitates communication and activities of the HRC. Department staff also provides support to the HRC members. The Women's and Fair Practices Departments and the Human Rights Committee organize the tri-annual Bernice B. Heffner Outstanding Women's Achievement Award, as well as the A. Philip Randolph/Hubert H. Humphrey Award.
The Women's and the Fair Practices Departments publish and revise a large library of educational workbooks, including separate workbooks for EEO representation, disability rights, sexual harassment, Alternative Dispute Resolution, domestic violence, Family Medical/ Family Friendly Leave, a guidebook for local coordinators, and numerous issue-orientated brochures and pamphlets. The Local Coordinator handbook includes model contract language, a sample survey, and instructions on mobilization on civil rights issues.
The Women's and Fair Practices Departments support judicatory, legislative, regulatory, and collective bargaining progress in matters of civil, human, women’s, and worker rights. Recent examples of the department's contribution to those issues include a successful and on-going project to continue reforming Part 1614, expanding sexual orientation protection for federal workers, and Coordinator/EEO Institutes that provide in-depth training for appointed and or elected local officials.
To further our members' interests, the Departments are active in various external organizations such as the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, National Committee on Pay Equity, National Partnership for Women and Families, AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department and the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. In addition, the Departments work closely with the AFL-CIO constituency groups on the national level. AFGE has representatives in leadership positions in Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), Coalition of Black Trade Unionist (CBTU), Pride at Work (PAW), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), A. Phillip Randolph Institute (APRI), and Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA). Additionally, the Department was instrumental in the establishment of AFGE's Hispanic Caucus, HISCO.
The Women's and Fair Practices Departments advance the basic union principles of unity and equality.
National Women's Advisory Coordinators
Mission Statement:
The Women's Department shall have initial responsibility for the development and implementation, in conjunction with the Fair Practices Department, of: Affirmative Action programs for women in federal and D.C. government agencies; the elimination of employment discrimination based upon sex; providing the necessary consultation, services, and representation to Locals, Councils and Districts in support of women's programs and organizations; and drafting education, media material correspondence, and department reports.