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AFL-CIO

American  
[ey-ef-el--see-ahy-oh] / ˈeɪˈɛfˈɛl ˈsiˈaɪˈoʊ /

abbreviation

  1. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations: a federation of trade unions formed in 1955 by merger.


AFL-CIO British  

abbreviation

  1. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations: a federation of independent American trade unions formed by the union of these two groups in 1955

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

AFL-CIO Cultural  
  1. Abbreviation for the American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations, two groups that merged in 1955 to become the largest federation of labor unions in the United States. Member unions, including a variety of workers from machinists to musicians, make up over seventy percent of the unionized labor force in the United States.


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Though officially nonpartisan, the AFL-CIO has strong traditional ties with the Democratic party.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In 2000, the AFL-CIO held an “alternative roadshow” to campaign against PetroChina’s IPO, which scared off some potential investors.

From MarketWatch May 6, 2026

Two major unions, the American Federation of Government Employees and AFL-CIO, had filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of Vought's announced plans to carry out layoffs during the shutdown.

From BBC Oct. 10, 2025

But Michael Podhorzer, a former AFL-CIO political director, sees a silver lining.

From Slate May 5, 2025

The day started at 9 a.m. outside the headquarters of the Nevada AFL-CIO.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 4, 2024

At Riddick’s request, Wilbur Hobby, the AFL-CIO leader, telephoned C.P. to let him know about the first organizational meeting to be held at the local YWCA.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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