title: Public Employee Department
text: # Public Employee Department
  
  The Public Employee Department was a division of the AFL-CIO, bringing together unions representing government workers.
  
  The Government Employees' Council of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded in 1945. When the AFL merged into the AFL-CIO, the council was maintained, and by 1963 it had more than 20 union affiliates. In 1974, a new Public Employee Department was founded, absorbing the council. On formation, it had 24 affiliated unions, representing more than 2 million public employees.
  
  By the 1990s, the department's focus was on developing a framework for labour and management co-operation. It was dissolved in 1998.
  
  ## Presidents
  
      1974: Howie McClennan
      1981: Ken Blaylock
      1985: Gerald McEntee
      1988: Al Bilik
  