AFL-CIO Launches TV Campaign to Boost Image

The AFL-CIO has launched a $5-million TV campaign in five cities to improve the image of organized labor--and add to its membership. The ads are running in Baltimore, Milwaukee, Seattle, San Antonio and St. Louis. After years of suffering declining membership, the 78-union federation is devoting one-third of its $95-million budget to organizing and membership recruitment. “Most people haven’t been in unions and they don’t know what they are,” said Richgard Bensinger, organizing director for the AFL-CIO. There are roughly 13 million organized workers in the United States.