Executive Council Statement | Better Pay and Benefits

On the Retirement of Cliff Guffey

We wish to thank Cliff Guffey for his service and dedication to America’s working families, including his years on the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO. While on the council, he served on the Executive Committee, the Political Committee and the Article XX Appeals Committee and has been a co-chair of the Union Veterans Council.

Guffey has always prioritized service to working people and his country. In 1968 he entered the United States Marine Corps, where he served until 1970 as a rifleman in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam. In 1971 he began his postal career as a letter carrier in Oklahoma City.

A year later Guffey transferred to the Clerk Craft, where he operated a letter-sorting machine. He also worked for a short time at a neighborhood post office. In 1979 he won the presidency of the Oklahoma City Area Local APWU. He served two terms before running for national office. Veterans and working family issues have been critical to Guffey, and America’s working families are better off as a result.