The council is the most fully developed part of the federation’s increased outreach to youthful workers, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler told Press Associates Union News Service and the Bureau of National Affairs in an exclusive Aug. 5 interview at the federation’s Executive Council meeting in downtown Washington.
Shuler, herself only 39, was the prime mover behind the summit -- along with data showing union members are older and grayer than the U.S. workforce as a whole. Only 5% of workers aged 18-24 are unionized, compared to 16% of those aged 45-64.
Further, according to the 300 youthful activists at the summit, labor doesn’t know how to reach and involve young workers, needs to adapt to changing non-traditional work environments, and must start 2-way communication, among other things.
Shuler’s report to the council touched on all those issues and more, including the need to educate young workers about unions. “There are a lot of moving parts to this” and it’s still being developed, and will be road-tested through webinars, she said.
“People felt really comfortable with what we recommended,” Shuler said of the other union leaders. “First and foremost, we’re going to establish a Young Worker National Advisory Committee, drawing on the participants from the summit” and other youthful activists named by local unions. The committee will sift through the summit’s recommendations, investigate best practices for drawing young workers in, and propose concrete actions unions can take to bring in and encourage young activists.
“And the committee is going to look at all our programs (her emphasis) through the eyes of young workers” to see if they’re effective, and if not, how to change them. Shuler said. The advisory council “is also responsible for starting” the 2-way dialogue.
Youth summit participants also noted young workers are in different arrange-ments from traditional ones unions are used to. The new arrangements include part-time work, contract work, work from home -- what the young workers call “the pajama class” -- and free-lance work. Unions must figure out how to both organize and benefit workers in those new arrangements. The committee will handle that task, too.
Recruiting and involving younger unionists also involves mentoring, the summit participants said. Shuler reported her colleagues were surprisingly receptive to the idea, but warned the local level may be another story. There, mentoring and participation opportunities -- such as holding union office or serving as a national convention delegate -- often go to older veteran members who worked their way up.
“Don’t just give me a mentor and a program is what we’re saying,” Shuler said. “I want to be able to pick the mentor, help develop the program and have 2-way communication. And another thing is that union meetings are boring and need to be turned into educational opportunities” that appeal to members, she added.
Mark Gruenberg writes for Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.
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The council is the most fully developed part of the federation’s increased outreach to youthful workers, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler told Press Associates Union News Service and the Bureau of National Affairs in an exclusive Aug. 5 interview at the federation’s Executive Council meeting in downtown Washington.
Shuler, herself only 39, was the prime mover behind the summit — along with data showing union members are older and grayer than the U.S. workforce as a whole. Only 5% of workers aged 18-24 are unionized, compared to 16% of those aged 45-64.
Further, according to the 300 youthful activists at the summit, labor doesn’t know how to reach and involve young workers, needs to adapt to changing non-traditional work environments, and must start 2-way communication, among other things.
Shuler’s report to the council touched on all those issues and more, including the need to educate young workers about unions. “There are a lot of moving parts to this” and it’s still being developed, and will be road-tested through webinars, she said.
“People felt really comfortable with what we recommended,” Shuler said of the other union leaders. “First and foremost, we’re going to establish a Young Worker National Advisory Committee, drawing on the participants from the summit” and other youthful activists named by local unions. The committee will sift through the summit’s recommendations, investigate best practices for drawing young workers in, and propose concrete actions unions can take to bring in and encourage young activists.
“And the committee is going to look at all our programs (her emphasis) through the eyes of young workers” to see if they’re effective, and if not, how to change them. Shuler said. The advisory council “is also responsible for starting” the 2-way dialogue.
Youth summit participants also noted young workers are in different arrange-ments from traditional ones unions are used to. The new arrangements include part-time work, contract work, work from home — what the young workers call “the pajama class” — and free-lance work. Unions must figure out how to both organize and benefit workers in those new arrangements. The committee will handle that task, too.
Recruiting and involving younger unionists also involves mentoring, the summit participants said. Shuler reported her colleagues were surprisingly receptive to the idea, but warned the local level may be another story. There, mentoring and participation opportunities — such as holding union office or serving as a national convention delegate — often go to older veteran members who worked their way up.
“Don’t just give me a mentor and a program is what we’re saying,” Shuler said. “I want to be able to pick the mentor, help develop the program and have 2-way communication. And another thing is that union meetings are boring and need to be turned into educational opportunities” that appeal to members, she added.
Mark Gruenberg writes for Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.