Washington ? Janet Connor’s teachers union is focused almost as much on dogged politicking these days as it is on the new school year.

In the battleground state of Florida, the American Federation of Teachers local 1975 in Broward County is mobilizing foot soldiers who are handing out fliers, giving money and urging other members to vote Nov. 5 for the candidates who will be best for public education.

Labor Day is traditionally the beginning of the home stretch for political campaigns, and union members will be out en masse through Election Day to help elect worker-friendly candidates who, they say, are mostly Democrats.

Organized labor in the last decade has steadily increased its power at the ballot box, representing 26 percent of voters in 2000, up from 19 percent in 1992.

For November’s midterm elections, unions say they are making an unprecedented effort to mobilize voters on issues such as protecting Social Security, workers’ jobs and health care benefits.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the teachers union come together like this,” said Connor, AFT local 1975’s political and legislative affairs director. “For all intents and purposes, there’s nothing else going on politically, and teachers are taking it very seriously.”

Control of Congress and 36 governorships are at stake in November. This also is the last election before new campaign finance laws kick in.

The gubernatorial race in particular is dominating Florida’s political landscape, and the teachers union desperately wants to unseat Republican Gov. Jeb Bush. It has endorsed Democrat Bill McBride, a political newcomer and Tampa lawyer, who is challenging former U.S. attorney general Janet Reno and state Sen. Daryl Jones of Miami in the Sept. 10 primary.

McBride’s campaign and the union have spent $3.5 million on TV ads this summer to increase his name recognition, arguing that he stands the best chance against Bush.

Labor doled out $90 million in hard and soft money and individual donations in the 2000 presidential election cycle, of which 94 percent supported Democrats. Unions made up 11 of the 20 largest political action committee contributors to federal candidates that year.

Though labor has become a powerhouse in politics, it still gets outspent 15 to 1 by the business community. Mobilization, not money, is the real key to labor’s success, said Steve Rosenthal, the AFL-CIO’s political director.

“What we bring to the table is registering, educating and turning out union members, getting them involved in grass-roots political and legislative activities,” he said. “What we’re about is trying to build power for workers so they have a voice in the process.”