A Brief History of the Alaska Public Employee's Association/AFT

The Alaska Public Employees Association/AFT is the oldest Public Employee

union in Alaska.  Formed in 1955, as the Alaska State Employees Association,

it was originally formed to lobby the Alaska Legislature on pay and benefits

for State Employees.  The Alaska Legislature passed the Public Employment

Relations Act in 1972 which granted State and Local Government Employees the

right to organize and form unions for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours

and other terms and condition of employment.  APEA/AFT was originally selected

the bargaining agent for the state's Supervisory and General Government Units.

In addition, Employees of the City of Nome, Fairbanks North Star Borough and

the Classified employees of the Juneau School District voted for APEA/AFT to

represent them.  With the acceptance of political subdivision employees into

the Association, the name changed from the Alaska State Employees Association

to the Alaska Public Employees Association.  APEA/AFT continued to grow and

began representing more and more political subdivision employees.  In 1988,

the members of the state General Government Unit decided that they wanted an

organization just made up of General Government workers.  The GGU restarted

the  defunct Alaska State Employees Association, and they represent them at

this time.

In 1990, APEA/AFT looked for outside help to assist us in the tough times we

were facing.  After looking into and investigating a number of International

Unions, the members of APEA/AFT overwhelmingly voted to join the American

Federation of Teachers/Federation of Public Employees.  With their help and

resources, we have been successful in attaining bargaining rights for 250 

blue collar employees of the University of Alaska.  In a joint venture with

the American Association of University Professors, 700 full-time faculty have

attained bargaining rights, as well as the Adjunct Faculty.  Since 1980, APEA and AFT

individually and collectively have been working with the white collar employees

to assist them in exercising their right to bargain.

APEA/AFT is governed by a Board of Directors made up of the President and

Secretary-Treasurer, who are elected by all the members, and 13 Directors elected

by specific constituencies on a regional or employer basis.

APEA/AFT has a full-time staff of 14 employees, located in the APEA/AFT Regional

Field Offices: Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.  Staff is directed by

the Business Manager who is hired by and reports to the Board of Directors.

	Learn more about union movement culture and history.

	An interactive photo essay on union movement history. (Flash Plug-in needed.)

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Last Updated February 10, 2006