The AFSCME Council 57 Executive Board announced on July 26 that Charles Allen has been named the new executive director of the council, effective immediately.
Allen has been with the council since 2010, working as a business agent for Local 101—primarily with members at the City of San Jose. In the last two years he took on additional locals, representing Local 955 (City of Pleasanton) and Local 2428 (East Bay Regional Park District).
Prior to joining Council 57, he was a lead organizer with AFSCME Local 3299. Charles has also worked for the Writers Guild of America, West, where he was one of the coordinators of the field campaign for the 100-day strike in 2008. He has also been with the California Faculty Association, SEIU Local 715 (now 521), and UPTE-CWA Local 9119.
Allen started his long involvement in the labor movement as a rank-and-file leader with the Graduate Employees’ Organization (AFT/IFT Local 6300) at the University of Illinois. Moving to Wisconsin, he served as the vice president for the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh chapter of the Association of University of Wisconsin Professionals (AFT/WFT).
Following the sudden departure of former Council 57 Executive Director Michael Seville, Allen served several months as the council’s interim executive director where he helped guide the council through the difficult decisions needed to pass its annual budget. He also hired five field staff to fill the long-standing vacancies and moved Local 1 closer to affiliation into the council. The latter is particularly exciting as it will make the council 35,000 members-strong.
Statement from Council 57 President Abdul Johnson:
“Please join us in welcoming Charles Allen as our new executive director. We are excited about the financial accountability, transparency and years of service as an advocate that he brings to our council.”
Statement from new Council 57 Executive Director Charles Allen:
“I am honored to be the new director for AFSCME Council 57, and I am proud to be able to continue to work alongside you in our labor movement. As we celebrate Labor Day, we must never forget the struggle that has brought us here. We still face many challenges and we must remain unified as we engage in the fight against the constant barrage of attacks against working people. I believe that when we come together and show our collective strength, we win that fight.”
