AFL-CIO Community Services Program

The partnership between United Way and the AFL-CIO began in the 1946.   The AFL & CIO were two separate organizations with active community service components complete with full time staffing.  These were in active competition with the Community Chest, Red Cross and the War Relief Fund within the workplace.  In order to consolidate efforts and become more efficient, the business community along with the Community Chest (and to a smaller degree the Red Cross) established a partnership with both the AFL & the CIO (later to become the AFL-CIO). In this agreement, the Community Chest (later United Way) agreed to absorb the AFL & CIO community services staff and resources and further agreed to continue these programs.    This partnership has withstood the test of time.

Today the program has over 270 labor liaison staff in 45 states and Canada.  The basic program includes:

• Education such as the Union Community Activist Network (UCAN).  This is an education program designed to teach rank & file union members about the resources that are available in the community to help working families. 
• Mobilizing union members to respond to community needs.  These range in scope from natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes to assisting in food drives such as the Letter Carriers Food Drive.
• Working as a facilitator between the non-profit community and organized labor to promote working relationships between the two groups as well as greater understanding and communications to help establish a better community.
• Establish coalitions between community organizations to address social needs.
• In general, promote and increase the presence of organized labor in community service activities.

New Mexico

The AFL-CIO Community Services Program was established in Albuquerque in 1978.  Originally it was an agreement between the NM Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO and the United Way of Greater Albuquerque. In 1981 the union responsibility was shifted to the Bernalillo County Central Labor Council.  In 1986 a “Memorandum of Understanding” was signed between the United Way of Greater Albuquerque (now know as United Way of Central New Mexico) and the Bernalillo County Central Labor Council (now know as Central New Mexico Labor Council, AFL-CIO) formalizing the partnership between United Way and the Central Labor Council.  The MOU sets out a job description as well as guidelines for the labor liaison.  On an annual basis the president of UWCNM, the president of the CNMLC, the executive director of the NM Federation of Labor and the Labor Liaison establish a joint work plan and perform an annual evaluation of the program.  The goals of both organizations are incorporated into the annual work plan.