United Way and organized labor have had a working partnership since 1942. This partnership sought cooperation between employers and union representatives in the area of employee solicitation to jointly stress voluntary contributions without coercion. As a result of the partnership, labor liasion positions were established on the staffs of the local United Ways. Labor Liaisons are chosen to serve by the local Labor Council and serve at the pleasure of the Labor Council and the local United Way.

Putting the Partnership to work in the Lehigh Valley

Here in the Lehigh Valley, organized labor is very much a part of United Way. There are currently seven members of the Board of Directors representing organized labor, and nine union members serve on the United Way's allocation committees, helping to determine how your United Way's funds will be be invested.

The Lehigh Valley is one of only seventeen United Way's in the state of Pennsylvania that have an AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison. On staff at this United Way is John Werkheiser and his responsibilities include:

Perhaps one of the best examples of the strong partnership between labor and United Way in the Lehigh Valley is the TeenWorks Program. Developed and implemented in 1999, TeenWorks provides a funding source for teens who are doing community service projects. Fifteen union members and 15 teens join together to review applications and allocate funding.