Karen McMillan, MS, CHES, Coalition of Labor Union Women, 1925 K St., NW, Suite 402, Washington, DC 20006, 202 223-8360, kmcmillan@cluw.org

Labor unions have played an integral role in educating workers on how to reduce their risk for HIV infection from an occupational and personal perspective. During the early 80s and 90s, while funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the George Meany Center for Labor Studies, and other AFL-CIO unions successfully conducted programs that included comprehensive trainings, workshops and conferences. In 2001, the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), a constituency group of the AFL-CIO, received a 4-year grant from CDC with the goal of creating a network of labor leaders and activists to reenergize organized labors efforts on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in the workplace. CLUW’s HIV/AIDS project director will discuss her experiences in launching and carrying out this program, and the successes and challenges of working with organized labor on a public health program.

Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to

• Become familiar with the processes involved in launching a new public health initiative.
• Articulate both the promise and challenges in working with organized labor on a major public health initiative.

Keywords: Labor, Labor-Management Relations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.