Today, the AFL-CIO announced the appointment of Jody Calemine as the director of advocacy, succeeding Bill Samuel, who is retiring after 24 years of dedicated service. In this role, Jody will serve as chief lobbyist and director of government affairs for the 12.5 million–member federation. With an illustrious career spanning nearly 25 years in government and the labor movement, most recently as senior fellow and director of labor and employment policy at the Century Foundation, Jody brings a wealth of experience and steadfast commitment to championing the needs of workers.w
“The AFL-CIO is proud to welcome Jody Calemine as our director of advocacy. With his extensive experience and unwavering dedication to the labor movement, we are confident that Jody will provide the leadership, vision and collaborative spirit necessary to successfully lead the federation on the legislative and policy priorities that will grow power for working people,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “And we express our heartfelt appreciation to Bill Samuel for his remarkable years of service and invaluable contributions to the federation. Bill turned the AFL-CIO into a legislative powerhouse on Capitol Hill, and his leadership, dedication and keen insight will leave an imprint on America’s working families for generations to come.”
Prior to joining the Century Foundation, Jody served as general counsel and then chief of staff at the Communications Workers of America (CWA) from 2014 to 2023, managing the union’s legal strategies on collective action, employment discrimination and challenges to anti-worker state laws. He spent more than a decade on Capitol Hill working in the U.S. House of Representatives on labor and education policy, including as deputy director of labor policy, general counsel and Democratic staff director for the Committee on Education and the Workforce, where he helped enact legislation such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 and Affordable Care Act.
A native of West Virginia, Jody earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and American government from the University of Virginia and a juris doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. He started his law career as headquarters counsel at CWA and as an associate at the unionside firm of Zwerdling, Paul, Kahn and Wolly, where he focused on public sector labor matters.
Contact: Isabel Aldunate, 202-637-5018