Congratulations to the seven lucky National Education Association (NEA) members who won top prizes in the AFL-CIO Winning Together Contest by displaying their knowledge of the power of union solidarity.

The contest was sponsored by the federation’s Unity Partnerships project and was open to NEA members and staff attending the NEA Representative Assembly Expo in San Diego this week.

To enter the contest, participants answered a question about the combined voting strength of NEA and AFL-CIO active and retired households in their home states. Those who answered correctly were eligible for the grand prize and three second prizes. Everyone who submitted an answer was eligible for one of three third prizes. 

Click here to view the questions and answers (PowerPoint).

Carol Sampsel of State College, Pa., won the grand prize of a $1,000 Costco gift certificate. Sampsel says, “I Just got a new place to live, so this will come in handy!”

The second prize winners, who each receive an AT&T BlackBerry Curve 8320 cell phone, are: 

• Angela Gonzalez of Miami, Fla.
• Nancy Gentis of Las Vegas, Nev.
• Claudia Bock of Newark, Del.

And the three winners of the third prize—an AT&T Samsung SGH-a737 cell phone—are: 

• Lynette Wright of Elburn, Ill.
• Mary May of Nashville, Ark.
• Amy Peel of Reno, Nev.

Unity Partnerships is a groundbreaking agreement between the national AFL-CIO and the NEA that allows local NEA associations to affiliate directly with the AFL-CIO.  The program is supported by the AFT, a longtime AFL-CIO affiliate.