United Way of Lake County, Ohio
   Labor Involvement




 

Organized Labor and the United Way of Lake County

     Since 1946, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and United Way of America have enjoyed a cooperative relationship through which they and state and local United Ways have provided services to members of organized labor, their families and their companies. Organized labor is also part of the decision-making process at United Way of America. Currently, there are five AFL-CIO representatives serving on the United Way of America's Board of Governors, two of them on the executive committee, and a labor leader is currently serving as the chair of the board of directors on United Way International.

United Way of Lake County and Organized Labor work together to:

1) Train union members to assist co-workers with information about available local services and to refer them to the appropriate organizations;

2) Recruit, train and help place members of organized labor on the decision-making bodies of health and human-service organizations. This is done at the national, state and local levels.

3) Recognize labor leaders who have rendered outstanding United Way volunteer service by annually awarding the Joseph A. Beirne Community Service Award - established in memory of that remarkable labor leader.

                 In 2005, Lake County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council President, Bob Schiebli 
                 received the Beirne Award. A board member of United Way of Lake County
                 for many years, Bob serves as the Labor Chair of UWLC's annual Campaign Cabinet.

4) Solicit contributions from workers through payroll deduction which account for approximately two-thirds of the funds that United Way's raise each year. Through the Labor Letter of Endorsement Program of the Department of Labor Participation, the AFL-CIO president and Field Mobilization Department ask central labor councils to send letters endorsing United Way campaigns to their memberships. The Labor Letters of Endorsement Program encourages individual union members to volunteer their time and contribute their resources to United way campaigns.

5) Provide a staff of more than 200 full-time AFL-CIO Community Services Liaisons to serve as links between their state federations and central labor councils and United Ways in 170 communities across the United States. In addition, 21 local labor agencies and five state labor agencies receive direct United Way support. Canada has 36 full-time Canadian Labour (CLC) Congress Liaisons.

6) Support the National Association of Letter Carriers' (NALC) National Food Drive held annually on the second Saturday in May. The drive stocks local community food banks, pantries and shelters with non-perishables Letter Carriers collect from customers along their mail routes. The drive, which has become the world's largest one-day food drive, was started by NALC in 1991 in cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service and the AFL-CIO. United Way is a full partner in this drive.

For information regarding United Way of Lake County's involvement with Labor, please contact

Jean Argo, AFL-CIO Community Service Liaison
United Way of Lake County
440-639-1286
jargo@uwlc.org