The AFT is teaming up with the AFL-CIO to support a number of activities to help union colleagues and working families affected by Hurricane Katrina. This includes inviting our members to make charitable contributions to the AFL-CIO's Union Community Fund, labor's charity for working families and communities in distress.

The Union Community Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity and all contributions are tax deductible to the extent permissible under the law. We are supporting this project in addition to the AFT's regular Disaster Relief Fund.

The union on Sept. 8 will send out an e-mail (containing a link to a special AFT page members can use to make a contribution) through its GetActive system inviting AFT GetActive subscribers to support the fund.

The union is also working with the AFL-CIO to assist in setting up labor centers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. These will be places that evacuees can go to receive information about obtaining housing and emergency benefits, as well as emergency supplies for schools, clothes, etc.

The AFL-CIO Office of Community Services also has teamed with the Red Cross to solicit 1,000 volunteers for three-week assignments to work in shelters. The Red Cross is describing this as a "hardship assignment; there is no housing available and volunteers will sleep where they work. Red Cross will provide meals. Union volunteers can send an e-mail to hurricanevolunteers@aflcio.org

Also, because of a growing number of enquiries from AFT members throughout the country asking how they can help, we have posted a "What You Can Do" page on our Web site. We will update it as more information is available.