The literature shows that state federations of labor should be, and many are, actively involved in current state literacy initiatives. The United States must develop a coherent and comprehensive system of lifetime education. This will require a greater commitment of public and private resources to education and training. Too many employers are reluctant or unwilling to provide training to the majority of their employees who are not managerial or supervisory workers. The number of employers who are conducting workplace literacy programs has increased, but most still see no need for such programs. However, providing education and training to workers is a sound business investment. On the other hand, unions in the manufacturing, service, building, and public sectors have expanded worker education and training programs to unprecedented levels. Workers and their unions must be involved from the very beginning in all aspects of designing and implementing a workplace education and literacy program. Unions will not accept a role limited to recruiting learners. A critical first step to establishing a workplace education or literacy program is for an employer and union to identify the specific objectives of the proposed program. Worker-centered or learner-centered approaches are best for both the employer and the employee. Quotations from bibliographic sources are interspersed throughout the text. (16 references) (YLB)