AFSCME - American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO

Office of the General Counsel
Washington, DC

This is the 2025 fellowship description for this mentor organization.

AFSCME is one of the largest, most diverse unions in the country, with over 1.4 million members in both the public and private sectors. AFSCME has been a leader in racial, social and economic justice within the labor movement and society at large. AFSCME’s members provide vital public services that make America happen. We are nurses, childcare providers, school/university support staff, library workers, EMTs, health care providers, sanitation workers and many more public servants. AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity for all working families. We not only stand for fairness at the bargaining table — we fight for fairness in our communities and in the halls of government.

AFSCME has affiliates in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The International Union, based in Washington, DC, coordinates the union’s actions on major national issues and provides resources to affiliates for organizing, bargaining, political action, and member education.

Peggy Browning Fellowship Description
Peggy Browning Fellows will assist the Office of the General Counsel in providing in-house legal
representation to AFSCME International and its affiliates throughout the country. This includes assisting in initiating and defending litigation before state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and administrative agencies to safeguard the interests of the union and its members, as well as assisting in providing non-litigation counsel on diverse matters such as organizing campaigns, legislative and policy advocacy, campaign finance and political law, pensions and employee benefits, and internal union governance. In addition to traditional issues of labor and employment law, the Office confronts numerous questions of constitutional law including matters related to the First Amendment.

The successful candidate should possess good research and writing skills, demonstrated academic excellence, and a serious commitment to work for the labor movement and to protect worker rights. Fellows will work full-time and will be paid at a rate of $26 per hour. The fellowship will be in-person in our Washington, D.C. office.

In addition to the basic application requirements (cover letter, application form, essays, resume), applicants for this fellowship must also include two writing samples and a transcript.

Address cover letter to:

Hiring Committee
ATTN: Michael Artz, Associate General Counsel
American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
1101 17th Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036