The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that produces technological solutions to America’s energy challenges. For more than 100 years, the laboratory has developed tools and processes to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy to the American people. NETL has three primary site locations: Albany, OR; Pittsburgh, PA; and Morgantown, WV. Of the 15 locally recognized units within the Department, NETL locally negotiates with three DOE bargaining units: American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1104, AFGE Local 1916, and AFGE Local 1995.

The current Albany bargaining unit (BU) has partial origins from a former 1965 U.S. Bureau of Mines BU, located at the then Albany Metallurgy Research Center. Local 1141 was a National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) local representing "ungraded employees" except Foreman II's, III's and IV's . Then on September 17, 1998, after an election, AFGE, AFL-CIO was issued a certification of representative for general schedule (GS) professional and non-professional employees of the DOE Albany Research Center in Albany, OR. On June 10, 1999, an amendment of recognition was issued amending recognition from NFFE, Local 1141 to then recognized AFGE Local 1104, AFL-CIO. This amendment awarded recognition of all NFFE's represented employees to AFGE expanding their recognition to Wage Grade employees of the Albany Research Center in Albany, OR. On October 29, 2007, FLRA issued a decision further clarifying that AFGE 1104's recognition was for all GS professional and non-professional employees as well as wage grade employees of the DOE Albany Research Center, however currently there are only general schedule employees in this unit.