Ten years ago, the Executive Council approved and embraced the creation of Working America, a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, in order to provide a vehicle for workers who do not enjoy the benefits of union representation at work to join the AFL-CIO as associate members and participate in the labor movement’s policy and electoral advocacy on behalf of working families. Today Working America has grown to more than 3 million members.

Working America has grown the labor movement through the strongest field program in the country. This program is a locally hired, professionally trained, high-quality, cost-efficient field canvass operation. This field canvass has a proven record of exceeding goals on labor priorities such as contacts, calls to action and voter persuasion. Working America has a sophisticated data system that enables the customization of communications with maximum effect. Working America has the only unionized canvass operation that additionally pays a living wage and benefits to its canvassers.

In order to further the goal of building the labor movement while carrying out professional field campaign work, and to promote the investment in high-quality, cost-effective union labor, the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO encourages the affiliates at the national, state and local level to give preference to Working America’s field canvass operation when seeking to contract for paid field operations.