A look back at the forward movement
Unprecedented activism will have long-term benefits

Support for healthcare reform, the funding of public services and a history of advocating for the right of workers to form and join unions were among the key factors in the AFT’s and organized labor’s endorsements in the 2004 elections.

Leading up to the election, an army of AFT leaders, members, including retirees, staff from both the national organization and locals joined with others in the labor movement to inform union members about the issues in national, state and local elections.

By Election Day, more than 225,000 union activists had participated in voter education efforts nationwide. It was the labor movement’s largest member mobilization, according to the AFL-CIO, which estimates that union households accounted for one of every four votes, 27 million overall.