Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO
Encyclopedia
The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a semi-autonomous "trade" department of the AFL-CIO
, and serves as an advocate for professional
workers within the federation, and before legislative bodies, the press and the public.
DPE has a three-fold mission: To promote the organization of professional workers into unions
; to advocate for pro-worker legislation that affects professional workers; and to conduct research into professional work. Issues which DPE has been active on in the last several years include immigration
, corporate ownership of news and entertainment media, mandatory overtime
for health care professionals, freedom of expression
in the arts and news media and higher education, and the definition of a professional under the National Labor Relations Act
and the Fair Labor Standards Act
. A number of DPE studies have gained widespread media attention, including research on unionization rates of white-collar worker
s, obstacles to organizing professional workers, and the factors which lead women to join unions. DPE offers a number of educational programs for AFL-CIO members throughout the year at which it publicizes its work.
. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy
granted collective bargaining
rights to federal workers. Unions such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
, American Federation of Government Employees
, American Postal Workers Union
, National Association of Letter Carriers
, American Federation of Teachers
, Service Employees International Union
, National Education Association
and American Nurses Association
added hundreds of thousands of new members in only a few years. The number of professionals also grew phenomenally: By 1977, there were 13.9 million professional workers in the U.S.
The fast-growing professional and public employee unions of the AFL-CIO pushed for a more effective voice within the federation. In 1967, the Council for Scientific Professional and Cultural Employees (SPACE), affiliated with the AFL-CIO, was formed. In 1974, it was renamed the Council for Professional Employees (CPE).
In 1977, the AFL-CIO constitution was amended to transform the council into the Department for Professional Employees. DPE's first president was Albert Shanker
, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
DPE is governed by its affiliate unions. Membership is DPE is open to affiliate unions of the AFL-CIO. Currently, 21 national unions representing over four million workers belong to DPE. The member unions meet in a quadrennial convention (the last was in 2009), at which members elect a board of directors and officers, set dues, and discuss and approve policies. DPE members are free to establish their own policies and procedures so long as they do not conflict with the constitution and policies of the AFL-CIO.
DPE members elect three executive officers—a president, first vice president and treasurer, as well as nine individuals to a board of directors. One of the nine is elected as chair of the board. Between conventions, the board is the governing body of DPE. Day-to-day operations are overseen by the president and an executive director.
Under the AFL-CIO constitution, DPE (as with all trade departments) has certain rights. DPE officers are entitled to attend meetings of the AFL-CIO executive council as well as certain standing and policy committees of the council. DPE also may elect delegates to represent it at the AFL-CIO quadrennial convention, and its delegates may participate in the convention's committees. As a matter of courtesy and AFL-CIO policy, DPE officers are also invited to participate in the activities of a wide variety of AFL-CIO councils, committees, policy-making groups, and staff and departmental meetings.
DPE is one of six constitutional departments of the AFL-CIO, which means that it may not be abolished without amending the AFL-CIO's constitution.
Currently, the chair of the DPE board of directors is J. David Cox, National Secretary-Treasuer of the American Federation of Government Employees. The first vice president is David White
, National Executive Director of the Screen Actors Guild. The treasurer is Antonia Cortese, Secretary-Treasuer of the American Federation of Teachers
.
DPE's president is Paul E. Almeida, a past-president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers
. In 2005, Almeida was elected to the national executive board of the Labor and Employment Relations Association
. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Albert Shanker Institute
.
DPE's executive director is David Cohen, an attorney and formerly DPE staff person in charge of education and organizing.
In 2005, DPE head its first-ever organizing conference, "Organizing Professionals in the 21st Century."
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
, and serves as an advocate for professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
workers within the federation, and before legislative bodies, the press and the public.
DPE has a three-fold mission: To promote the organization of professional workers into unions
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
; to advocate for pro-worker legislation that affects professional workers; and to conduct research into professional work. Issues which DPE has been active on in the last several years include immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, corporate ownership of news and entertainment media, mandatory overtime
Overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:*by custom ,*by practices of a given trade or profession,*by legislation,...
for health care professionals, freedom of expression
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
in the arts and news media and higher education, and the definition of a professional under the National Labor Relations Act
National Labor Relations Act
The National Labor Relations Act or Wagner Act , is a 1935 United States federal law that limits the means with which employers may react to workers in the private sector who create labor unions , engage in collective bargaining, and take part in strikes and other forms of concerted activity in...
and the Fair Labor Standards Act
Fair Labor Standards Act
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 is a federal statute of the United States. The FLSA established a national minimum wage, guaranteed 'time-and-a-half' for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors in "oppressive child labor," a term that is defined in the statute...
. A number of DPE studies have gained widespread media attention, including research on unionization rates of white-collar worker
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
s, obstacles to organizing professional workers, and the factors which lead women to join unions. DPE offers a number of educational programs for AFL-CIO members throughout the year at which it publicizes its work.
Founding
The 1960s saw a significant increase in the number of professional workers joining labor unions in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
granted collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
rights to federal workers. Unions such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is the second- or third-largest labor union in the United States and one of the fastest-growing, representing over 1.4 million employees, primarily in local and state government and in the health care industry. AFSCME is part of the...
, American Federation of Government Employees
American Federation of Government Employees
The American Federation of Government Employees is an American labor union representing over 625,000 employees of the federal government, about 5,000 employees of the District of Columbia, and a few hundred private sector employees, mostly in and around federal facilities...
, American Postal Workers Union
American Postal Workers Union
The American Postal Workers Union is a labor union in the United States. It represents employees of the United States Postal Service who are clerks, maintenance employees, and motor vehicle service workers...
, National Association of Letter Carriers
National Association of Letter Carriers
The National Association of Letter Carriers is an American labor union, representing non-rural letter carriers employed by the United States Postal Service...
, American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
, Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
, National Education Association
National Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
and American Nurses Association
American Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association is a professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. It started in 1896 as the Nurses Associated Alumnae and was renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911...
added hundreds of thousands of new members in only a few years. The number of professionals also grew phenomenally: By 1977, there were 13.9 million professional workers in the U.S.
The fast-growing professional and public employee unions of the AFL-CIO pushed for a more effective voice within the federation. In 1967, the Council for Scientific Professional and Cultural Employees (SPACE), affiliated with the AFL-CIO, was formed. In 1974, it was renamed the Council for Professional Employees (CPE).
In 1977, the AFL-CIO constitution was amended to transform the council into the Department for Professional Employees. DPE's first president was Albert Shanker
Albert Shanker
Albert Shanker was President of the United Federation of Teachers from 1964 to 1984 as well as President of the American Federation of Teachers from 1974 to 1997.-Early life:...
, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
Structure
As a semi-autnomous department of the AFL-CIO, the DPE has its own constitution, elects its own board of directors and officers, holds its own convention, makes policy, and sets dues. In many respects, it acts like a labor federation of its own.DPE is governed by its affiliate unions. Membership is DPE is open to affiliate unions of the AFL-CIO. Currently, 21 national unions representing over four million workers belong to DPE. The member unions meet in a quadrennial convention (the last was in 2009), at which members elect a board of directors and officers, set dues, and discuss and approve policies. DPE members are free to establish their own policies and procedures so long as they do not conflict with the constitution and policies of the AFL-CIO.
DPE members elect three executive officers—a president, first vice president and treasurer, as well as nine individuals to a board of directors. One of the nine is elected as chair of the board. Between conventions, the board is the governing body of DPE. Day-to-day operations are overseen by the president and an executive director.
Under the AFL-CIO constitution, DPE (as with all trade departments) has certain rights. DPE officers are entitled to attend meetings of the AFL-CIO executive council as well as certain standing and policy committees of the council. DPE also may elect delegates to represent it at the AFL-CIO quadrennial convention, and its delegates may participate in the convention's committees. As a matter of courtesy and AFL-CIO policy, DPE officers are also invited to participate in the activities of a wide variety of AFL-CIO councils, committees, policy-making groups, and staff and departmental meetings.
DPE is one of six constitutional departments of the AFL-CIO, which means that it may not be abolished without amending the AFL-CIO's constitution.
Currently, the chair of the DPE board of directors is J. David Cox, National Secretary-Treasuer of the American Federation of Government Employees. The first vice president is David White
David White
David White or Dave White may refer to:*Dave White , Derringer Award–winning mystery writer*Dave White , U.S. journalist*Dave White , U.S. Navy submarine skipper*David A.R...
, National Executive Director of the Screen Actors Guild. The treasurer is Antonia Cortese, Secretary-Treasuer of the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
.
DPE's president is Paul E. Almeida, a past-president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers
The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers , AFL-CIO & CLC, is a diverse labor union representing more than 80,000 women and men in professional, technical, administrative and associated occupations in the United States and Canada. Their members are employed by federal,...
. In 2005, Almeida was elected to the national executive board of the Labor and Employment Relations Association
Labor and Employment Relations Association
The Labor and Employment Relations Association, founded in 1947, as the Industrial Relations Research Association, is an organization for professionals in industrial relations and human resources. Headquartered at the at the , the national organization has more than 3,000 members...
. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Albert Shanker Institute
Albert Shanker Institute
The Albert Shanker Institute is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to advancing democratic ideals, improving the quality of public education, and conducting research into the labor movement and the sociology of work...
.
DPE's executive director is David Cohen, an attorney and formerly DPE staff person in charge of education and organizing.
Recent changes
In 2004, DPE established a Committee on the Evolution of Professional Careers. Nearly 20 national unions have agreed to delegate members, staff and resources to the committee, which will identify and analyze trends affecting the future of white-collar work, identify the fastest-growing white-collar professions, identify the best strategies to organize these workers; and identify or develop new models of unions or professional association which will allow unions to expand membership in these professions.In 2005, DPE head its first-ever organizing conference, "Organizing Professionals in the 21st Century."