Unions are natural providers of basic skills instruction. They are in daily workplace contact with their membership, are trusted to work on members' behalf, and speak the language of the worker. Unions are trying to address the needs of illiterate workers through collective bargaining arrangements in which employers contribute a percentage of their payroll for the training and upgrading of their workers. Such programs may be jointly administered by unions and management, which may provide the instruction directly or contract it out. Unions may independently seek the services of the adult basic education programs. Other alternatives include partnerships between unions, employers, education providers, and state administrative agencies. A preeminent collective bargaining model is the United Auto Workers-Ford Motor Company Employee Development and Training Program. It is both job-related and concerned with the personal growth of the individual. Eight smaller unions banded together in New York City to form the Consortium for Worker Literacy, which provides education to help workers maintain current jobs or retrain for new ones before job loss. The AFL-CIO is exploring the use of a cutting-edge curriculum, the Job Skills Education Program, built on the analysis of job tasks and the basic skills required for them. Union members also participate in planning bodies and sit on private industry councils. (YLB)