[Excerpt] The political fortunes of organized labor have improved remarkably in the past two years. Following a decade of disappointments in Congress and at the polls, the AFL-CIO has successfully orchestrated a return to its position as one of the premier lobbying powers in Washington. The recently concluded 100th Congress was marked by a series of major victories, including plant closing protection, strict limits on the use of polygraph tests to screen employees, omnibus trade legislation, and a successful override of President Reagan's veto of funding for highway construction. The defeat of AFL- CIO-endorsed presidential candidate Michael Dukakis notwithstanding, the 1988 election results should serve to further augment labor's influence.