The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) is a labor union that represents occupations include engineers, attorneys, lab technicians, toll booth operators, economists, and judges. It is among the dozens of national and international unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO, the largest labor union federation in the United States and a powerful force on the political left. ^{1 2}

The IFPTE was formed in 1918 as the International Federation of Draftsmen’s Unions and represents public and private sector employees in the technical space at companies and agencies including Boeing, Bell, and NASA. The union endorses Democratic candidates for office and promotes left-of-center political stances on a variety of topics including social issues, welfare, government funding, and international trade. The union endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President in 2024. ^{1 2 3 4}

Background and History

The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) was founded in 1918 when the American Federation of Labor (which later merged into the AFL-CIO) granted a charter to the International Federation of Draftsmen’s Unions (IFDU). The IFDU was formed from 10 unions “representing engineers, draftsmen and technicians” and claimed to be the “first labor organization dedicated to the welfare of technical engineering employees.” ²

in 1919, IFDU changed its name to the International Federation of Technical Engineers, Architects, and Draftsmen’s Unions (IFTEA&DU). The union grew by recruiting employees at shipbuilding ports and in municipal, county, and state government agencies in its first decades of existence and added a variety of other trades to its membership. In 1950, the union again changed its name to the American Federation of Technical Engineers (AFTE). The union expanded into Canada in the 1950s and maintains four local unions with 10,000 members in that country. ²

In 1972 the union again renamed itself from the AFTE to its current name, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. In 2018 the union celebrated its 100^th anniversary. Professions the union represents include engineers, scientists, technicians, healthcare professionals, auditors, drafters/designers, judges, lawyers, researchers, and toll collectors. ²

Stances

The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) endorses Democratic candidates for office and promotes left-of-center political stances on a variety of topics including social issues, welfare, government funding, and international trade. ³

In 2024, the union endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, amending its July 2024 endorsement of President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, which it issued before Biden’s departure from the race. The union stated that ‘“From landmark legislative achievements that saved workers’ pensions to bringing back and growing the manufacturing base, to seventy pro-worker and pro-union recommendations included in the White House Worker Organizing and Empowerment Taskforce Report, Vice President Harris has been at the forefront of the Biden administration’s agenda of prioritizing the needs of workers, Veterans and our most vulnerable over all else.” And further stating “The choice here is very clear.  Project 2025, which aims to destroy Unions and worker rights, or Vice President Harris, who will continue policies that empower workers and their Unions,” a reference to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. ⁴

In 2020, the union issued a statement supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, stating that George Floyd was “murdered” by police officers and that “IFPTE further calls for continued transparency of these injustices and condemns all attempts to minimize the enormity of this tragedy, suppress resistance, and further divide this nation. It is incumbent upon the labor movement to stand on the side of justice, to unite against racism, and to stand against hatred, white supremacy and its systematic oppression and criminalization of people of color.” ⁵

1. “About.” IFPTE. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.ifpte.org/about
2. Quinnell, Kenneth. “Get to Know AFL-CIO’s Affiliates: International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.” July 29, 2019. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://aflcio.org/2019/7/29/get-know-afl-cios-affiliates-international-federation-professional-and-technical
3. “U.S. 2024 Legislative Advocacy Conference Issue Papers.” IFPTE. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.ifpte.org/leg-week-2024-issues-papers
4. “IFPTE Endorses VP Kamala Harris for President of the United States.” IFPTE. July 23, 2024. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.ifpte.org/news/ifpte-endorses-vp-kamala-harris-for-president-of-the-united-states
5. “An Open Letter from IFPTE on Black Lives Matter.” IFPTE. July 23, 2024. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.ifpte.org/blm