Since 1946, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations and United Way of America have joined forces in a community effort to bring services to members of organized labor, their families and their communities. To succeed in this partnership, labor participates as decision makers on the board of United Way of America and more than 200 AFL-CIO community service liaisons serve as staff at United Way organizations throughout the country. Labor representatives volunteer in United Way activities, serve on year-round committees, serve as leaders in support of workplace giving campaigns and work directly with community partners to make a measurable impact in the community. The AFL-CIO is also a national cosponsor of the National Association of Letter Carriers Annual Food Drive, which has collected more than 13 million pounds of food since 1995.

Today on Long Island
At United Way of Long Island, our partnership with the AFL-CIO remains an integral part of our work in the community. Organized labor has, year after year, demonstrated its steadfast commitment and dedication to the Long Island community through its constant support of our initiatives.

Together, United Way of Long Island and labor partners work to

• Train union members to assist co-workers with information about available local services and to refer them to the appropriate organizations.
• Provide information and referral services to individual union members.
• Identify, train and help place members of organized labor on the decision-making bodies of health and human-service organizations.
• Recognize labor leaders who have rendered outstanding volunteer service at United Way of Long Island's annual reception.
• Recruit union leaders to endorse United Way of Long Island workplace giving campaigns.
• Solicit contributions from workers through payroll deduction, which account for approximately two-thirds of the funds that United Ways raise nationally each year.
• Provide a staff member who works as full-time labor liaison to serve as a bridge between the labor community and United Way of Long Island. More than 200 full-time AFL-CIO community service liaisons serve as links between their state federations and central labor councils and United Ways in 170 communities across the United States.
• Support the NALC National Food Drive held annually in May. On Long Island Branch 6000 of the NALC leads the food drive that stocks local community food banks, pantries and shelters with non-perishable foods collected from Long Islanders along their mail routes. Nationally the drive, in cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service and the AFL-CIO, has become the world's largest one-day food drive.
• Manage the Labor School Tools Drive with the Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO and Long Island Cares. This effort generates school supplies for disadvantaged school children in our community.

Staff Contact
For more information, contact Julie Dade Howard, senior vice president of government and labor relations, at jdade-howard@unitedwayli.org or 631.940.3743.