Young Workers Committee Established

The recently created UWUA Young Workers Committee introduced itself to the rest of the union at a special session of the June Convention.

The purpose of the group, comprised of 15 members representing each region and chaired by National Representative Reggie Davis, is to both establish and maintain youth involvement initiative within the union. This will be tackled in numerous ways, including workshops, mentorships, as well as using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to give members a forum.

AFL’s Liz Shuler Leads Campaign
Kicking off the session was AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, the first ever woman selected to this position, the youngest officer to sit on the Federation’s Executive Council, and the force behind the federation’s outreach to young workers.

Committee member and delegate Jessica Francis Wright from Local 601 in New Jersey recalled being asked to become a shop steward. “I had no knowledge of a union, and now I was being asked to represent my brothers and sisters to ensure that the collective bargaining agreement would not be violated,” she said. “I realize now that I was being mentored. I was approached because I was young and they recognized the value of teaching the next generation. I was made to feel that I had a voice and that my opinion mattered.” And Matt Marfione, from Local 369 in Boston, raised in a union household, said that an alarming “four percent of union members are under the age of 24. We are the future. We need to get active. We need to be together. Because if we don’t, all the older people are going to retire and there’s going to be no one to show leadership.”

“We are simply not seeing enough young workers hired and trained to replace an aging workforce, where it’s not uncommon to work hundreds or maybe even up to a thousand hours of overtime a year,” added Shuler. “We can bridge that gap by reaching out to young people, by partnering with our employers and offering to team up on joint training programs. I know you have been working on some fantastic training initiatives, like Power for America. These are the kinds of opportunities that can build a connection with young people that will last forever.”

Give Young Members Responsibilities
Drumming up member interest isn’t as difficult as maintaining it. One of the ideas suggested during the committee’s initial meeting was to involve members with substantive tasks and duties. For example, during the reading of the minutes at future meetings, young shop stewards can speak about a situation they helped resolve or are in the process of resolving.

Building for the Future
“One of the most important things we have to do for the labor movement is protect our future,” said Davis. “The only way we can do that is if we realize that we have to take the time to cultivate, train and motivate our young workers.” “They have put the pedal to the metal,” said President Langford. “I am excited for them and for what they can do for this labor movement, because they are our future.”

The next Young Workers Committee session will be held the weekend of Jan. 11-13 in Chicago, IL and will be conducted by Jami Simon. Focus will be on leadership and technology.

“You may find those critical new voices who will take our work, our union, our labor movement to the next level,” Shuler added. “It’s very exciting.”

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