If you've ever wondered why the AFT encourages members to be involved in political and legislative action, the answer is: Because the people voted into office at every level of government make decisions that affect the work, resources and rights of AFT members on the job.

Lawmakers endorsed by AFT affiliates in recent elections have given workers a boost over the past year by removing obstacles in the way of public employees being able to form and join unions and negotiate contracts.

AFT members in Colorado, for example, rallied behind the candidacy of the state's current governor, Bill Ritter. In November, Ritter issued an executive order establishing a process for employee-management partnership agreements to address workplace issues. Ritter's executive decision greatly expands the rights of state employees in the workplace—and acknowledges that the people doing the work are the most knowledgeable about what's needed to do the job. (See related story Our Union.)

AFT-endorsed governors in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Oregon signed majority authorization measures into law for public employees in 2007.

The AFT has lobbied for majority authorization laws, also known as "card check," because they automatically recognize the formation of a union when a majority of workers in a prospective bargaining unit sign authorization cards stating they want union representation.

Majority authorization streamlines the unionization process for workers—and expedites the onset of contract negotiations—by eliminating the ballot election process, which is time consuming and costly.