The leadership of AFT Washington is committed to supporting all our locals in efforts to inform, engage, and activate their membership. We know from experience and research that to accomplish this goal, we need to work in ways that continually move potential members to members, members to activists, and activists to leaders. We can do this through understanding their needs and addressing their issues, so that our members see the power of the union, are drawn to it, and realize that the union’s power comes from their commitment and involvement. The members are the union.
This tool provides a framework for local union leadership, with the assistance of AFT Washington staff, to track and evaluate the activities and structural components of each local as the local leadership works to develop capacity and expand its reach.
This tool is organized in checklist fashion for ease of use, but it is meant to be a starting point for a thoughtful assessment and discussion of your local’s current status and should be used regularly to track your progress and development towards being a “Powerful Local Union,” and to help sustain its strength. It is not a definitive listing of all programs and resources.