WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Hockey League Players’ Association and Professional Hockey Players’ Association are affiliating with the AFL-CIO and joining the labor organization’s sports council, they announced Monday.

Their membership brings the number of unions involved in the AFL-CIO, the biggest labor federation in the U.S., to 63, representing more than 15 million workers. It comes as bargaining talks are ongoing at multiple levels of the sport.

The NHLPA represents roughly 750 players across 32 teams, while the PHPA has 1,800 members in the American Hockey League and ECHL.

The AFL-CIO formed a sports council in 2022 and already included unions representing players in the NFL, WNBA, Major League Soccer and National Women’s Soccer League.

“Our members are excited about taking an active role in working towards better outcomes for working people in every sector of the economy,” PHPA executive director Brian Ramsay said. “As we begin collective bargaining negotiations, our members will now enjoy the full support of the AFL-CIO at the bargaining table. This is what solidarity is all about.”