Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Washington, D.C. – This week, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), America’s first civil service federal employee union, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. NFFE was founded on September 17, 1917.
In 1917, the federal government had no structured system of pay, no job position classifications, no health insurance or retirement benefits, and the workforce had not received a raise in salary since the end of the Civil War, more than 50 years before. Over the past 100 years, NFFE and its members have worked closely with the Executive Branch and the Congress to lay the foundation for a more modern, accountable and professional workforce.
While significant progress for federal workers has been made over the last century for federal workers, largely to the credit of government officials and labor organizations working together under a common vision for the future, the achievements of the past are continually threatened by lawmakers and others who make light of historical hard lessons learned.
“For 100 years and counting, like its founding members, NFFE continues to fight for the rights of federal workers and to preserve a talented federal workforce designed to meet the needs of the American people,” stated Randy Erwin, NFFE National President. “In doing so, we vigorously defend the principles that ensure we will never return to the days of political patronage in the federal government.”
Erwin continued, “Members of this union are proud to be a part of America’s first civil service federal employee labor organization. I believe the founding members of NFFE would view the achievements of the last 100 years with a swelling of pride, and they would be happy to know that we are firmly focused on the next 100 years of progress for America’s dedicated federal employees.”