Ken Blaylock

Kenneth T. Blaylock (July 15, 1935 – October 10, 2018) was an American labor union leader.

Born in North Carolina to a family with Cherokee origins, Blaylock became a plumber in Alabama. He served on the Maxwell Air Force Base, and became active in the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), serving as vice-president for the union's southern region, and then from 1976 as president. He was also elected as a vice-president of the AFL-CIO in 1977, and in 1981 as president of the federation's Public Employee Department.

As leader of the AFGE, Blaylock was a strong supporter of the controversial Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. Under his leadership, membership of the union fell as government employment contracted, and the union's finances suffered as members rejected Blaylock's proposals to consolidate districts and raise membership fees. He became known as an opponent for funding for the El Salvadoran government and Nicaraguan contras, in contrast to the AFL-CIO's leadership.

In August 1988, Blaylock was defeated for re-election by John Sturdivant. He retired to Montgomery, Alabama, where he died in 2018.