Case Study Professional Group AFL-CIO

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is the largest trade union in the United States with over 11 million members. It has close links with the Democrat Party. Its president, Richard Trumka, visited the White House six times in Obama's first six months in office and met with Obama in 2016 to lobby over concerns about the Affordable Care Act, a policy it strongly supported. With such a large membership, the group can be very effective at election time, organising volunteers to help influence electoral outcomes.In recent years the AFL–CIO has concentrated its political efforts on lobbying in Washington and the state capitals, and on "GOTV" (get-out-the-vote) campaigns in major elections. For example, in the 2010 midterm elections, it sent 28.6 million pieces of mail. Members received a "slate card" with a list of union endorsements matched to the member's congressional district, along with a "personalized" letter from President Obama emphasizing the importance of voting. In addition, 100,000 volunteers went door-to-door to promote endorsed candidates to 13 million union voters in 32 states

It registered 450,000 new voters in 2012 and made 800 million phone calls during the election campaign. It has also had conflict with the Democrat Party — for example, it strongly opposed Obama's signing of the TransPacific Partnership (TPP). Trumka wrote an open letterto Obama on the issue and publicly criticised him over the deal, saying it threatened US jobs.

In 2020 the AFL-CIO campaigned heavily against Trump, focusing on marginal states such as Georgia.