The purpose of the AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison Program is to create and foster a partnership between organized labor and United Way of Dane County. Emphasis is placed on community service through volunteerism, education, information/referral, and support of United Way. The AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison is also known as the Labor Liaison and is referred to as the Director of Labor Participation here at United Way.
Training Programs
The Labor Liaison develops training programs such as the sessions that are held for United Way funded agencies and community members to be trained about basic workers’ rights and responsibilities. Also, each year a statewide community services and education conference is put on for all AFL-CIO members, and specialized training is held in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin-Extension School for Workers and other community organizations.
Volunteer Recruitment
The Labor Liaison – in conjunction with the Community Services Committee of the South Central Federation of Labor – recruits Union volunteers for a variety of community service projects and programs that support the Agenda for Change, including:
- United Way Days of Caring, which had over 2,000 volunteers in 2005
- the Labor Day Red Cross Blood Drive held in conjunction with LaborFest at the Madison Labor Temple
- the Reach Out to Kids Book Drive, which collected over 40,000 books in 2003
- assistance for unemployed workers
- volunteers for the United Way of Dane County Board of Directors, Vision Council, and the Community Solution Teams
- monetary collections for food pantries each month at the Delegates’ Meeting of the South Central Federation of Labor
Campaign Participation
The Labor Liaison mobilizes the caring power of Union members to get them actively involved and participating in the United Way campaign. There are over ninety private sector campaign accounts at Unionized workplaces and about eighty percent of the public sector is Unionized. A Labor Campaign Cabinet Division Chair and Vice Chair are recruited to help with this process.
For more information about Labor Participation, please contact Ann McNeary at (608) 246-4355 or labor@uwdc.org.
