Like its predecessor, it affiliated to the Swedish Trade Union Confederation.

Some professions that this union represents are: Kommunal was headed between 1996 and 2010 by general secretary Ylva Thörn.

Nordström resigned from her post on 20 January 2016 after a corruption scandal involving the union's leadership was exposed.

This is attributed to the representation of welfare jobs such as child and elderly care workers.

In recent history, this union has called two major strikes: Kommunal is a member of International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Association (IUF) and Public Services International (PSI).