The season is rapidly approaching when politicians will come knocking on our doors and flooding our inboxes, asking for money and votes. They will give speeches, shake hands, and fill the airwaves with ads.

But before any of us gives them a dime or a vote, we should tell them what we want, and ask them exactly where they stand.

We need to ask candidates for Congress if, after 34 temporary patches of the Highway Trust, they have the guts to finally do something about our crumbling transportation infrastructure. We must tell them how crucial that is for our country's economic competitiveness, improving the safety of the traveling public and supports more than a half-million jobs each year.

When the candidates come knocking, we need to ask if they support comprehensive immigration reform, cost of living increases for federal workers, reform to restore the U.S. Postal Service's finances, and an all-of-the above energy policy, including natural gas and oil. Will they make sure the permitting and regulatory process for energy development is used to ensure that safe projects are built, and not allow environmentalist extremists to abuse the process in order to block all projects? We must make sure candidates know how jobs building pipelines and other energy projects are a lifeline to the middle class for LIU NA families.

Let's ask Congressional candidates whether they favor repealing the 40-percent tax on health care plans set to take effect under the ACA in 2018. And, let's tell them how devastating the tax will be for millions of America ns who have quality insurance, and how it will eventually weaken healthcare for most workers.

Let's ask them if they're willing to put politics aside to support good ideas that create jobs, regard less of who came up with the ideas, Republican or Democrat?

On average, every $5,000 collected through LIU NA members' voluntary contributions represents 100,000 hours of hard work. The contribution of time and resources is real sacrifice by hard­ working men and women. We owe it to our families, our union, and our country to make sure that candidates who want our help understand exactly what side we want them to take on issues that matter to us. And to get our help, they must be crystal clear about which side they're on.

Find out more about these issues at www.liuna.org/issues.