Who We Are
On July 1, 1918, the AFL granted a charter to the American Federation of Technical Engineers, AFTE, a group of ten local unions representing engineers and draftsmen at many of the U.S. shipyards. Thus, the first labor organization, dedicated to the welfare of the American technical engineering employees, was born.

Today, we are the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, AFL-CIO & CLC, a progressive labor union representing more than 80,000 men and women in professional, technical, administrative and associated occupations. As an affiliate of the AFL-CIO & the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), IFPTE is a diverse union representing employees in a wide variety of occupations in three distinct business sectors. Our members are comprised of workers employed by federal, public and private employers. We balance the broad range of our members' interests by adhering to democratic processes and consensus decision-making. A Union principle taught by Samuel Gompers--"An injury to one is an injury to all"--guides our Union as we work to represent the full range of our members' interests, and to organize the unorganized.

Why We Exist
We exist to allow tens of thousands of men and women working in professional and technical occupations a collective voice on the job.

We exist to give our members an effective voice in the legislative process. All of our members are impacted by our international, national, state and provincial legislatures in one manner or another.

We exist to advance the issues that affect working families. We assist candidates for government who advance those concerns unique to our membership.

We exist to raise the standards by which all professional and technical workers are employed. Only when all workers are covered by a contract will employers begin to stop the cycle of outsourcing, right-sizing and downsizing as they seek financial benefits at the expense of workers.