AFGE Launches Campaign to Increase Public Appreciation of Federal Employees

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Federation of Government Employees is kicking off a year-long campaign to increase the public's awareness and appreciation of the women and men who work for them each and every day.

The multi-faceted campaign, called "I Am AFGE," launches today with the release of a two-minute video that highlights the invaluable services federal employees deliver and explains how federal employees have much in common with the citizens they are sworn to serve.

Subsequent videos will be released every three weeks, beginning March 26. These 15 short-form documentaries will highlight individual federal employees who carry out important work across the country, including caring for veterans, processing Social Security checks, researching cures for deadly diseases, cleaning up hazardous waste, guarding our nation's prisons, and ensuring the safety of the flying public.

"Federal employees deliver programs and services that touch tens of millions of American lives each and every day, yet some folks don't make that connection between the work that federal employees do and the benefits to the nation and individual communities," AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said.

"The goal of this campaign is to break down the stereotypes that some folks have about federal employees and the federal government, and to highlight all the great work that federal employees are doing. The best way to do this is through federal employees' own voices."

More than two dozen federal employees were interviewed for the campaign during AFGE's annual Legislative and Grassroots Mobilization Conference in February.

The videos will be posted to a dedicated website, www.afge.org/IAm, and distributed to hundreds of news outlets across the country. The campaign also will be promoted through social media, an employee photo contest and other events.

In addition, a special toll-free phone line has been established to record and share testimonials from federal employees or citizens who value the services that federal employees provide. The number to call is 1-844-IAM-AFGE (426-2343).

"Federal employees are the most dedicated workers you could ever have the fortune of meeting. This campaign is our way of shining a light on them and reminding the public why the work that they do matters," Cox said.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

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Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/FX-DC86787-20140319-1.mp4
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140319/DC86787LOGO
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131120/MM21150LOGO

SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees