Look around most union gatherings, especially ?official? union events, and it becomes pretty obvious who?s not there. Among the missing: young adults.
The Young Union Member caucus hopes to change that. The group makes its public debut Sept. 25 with a ?Register to Rock? concert at the Fine Line Music Cafe. There will be a heavy emphasis on voter registration, but also in exposing young adults to unions in a fun environment.
YUM has two main goals, said Bree Halverson, a co-chair of the group. The first is to activate young adults who already are in unions and prepare them to become leaders in their locals and beyond.
The second is to connect young union members with peers who are not organized at work ? including the children of union members. That will make the group a vehicle ?where young union members and unaffiliated people can come together to talk about issues that affect young workers,? she said.
?We want to spread the message of why unions are good,? said Jake Baxter, another YUM co-chair, ?that we can organize ourselves to make the future better for ourselves. Why not do it now? Why wait till they destroy our future? Make it happen now.?
Ultimately, YUM wants to generate social events and become a resource for union activism among young adults, loosely defined as ages 18-32. That could include outreach at colleges, organizing around specific issues, even lobbying at the Legislature and elsewhere on behalf of issues that especially affect young workers.
Register to Rock will be held Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Fine Line Music Caf?, 318 First Ave. N., in downtown Minneapolis. Doors open at 7 p.m. and music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 ($10 with proof you?re a registered voter).
Headlining will be Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista and his 10-piece band, Beat the Donkey. Baptista is a maverick who has backed musicians ranging from Snoop Dogg, Phish and Trey Anastasio, to Sting, Laurie Anderson and David Byrne, to Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Opening the show will be Vertiform and Living in Tent City.
Music is a tool to get friends to try something different, Baxter said. ?When they walk into that venue and see union banners hanging around, we hope they ask ?Who are they? Why are they here??? Union organizers will have tables to help answer those questions.
YUM is getting financial support from 10 Minnesota labor organizations, and received official ?caucus? status at the Minnesota AFL-CIO convention last month. It?s focused in the Twin Cities right now, but hopes to set up branches statewide and take the concept national within 5 years.
Adapted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org
Share
Look around most union gatherings, especially ?official? union events, and it becomes pretty obvious who?s not there. Among the missing: young adults.
The Young Union Member caucus hopes to change that. The group makes its public debut Sept. 25 with a ?Register to Rock? concert at the Fine Line Music Cafe. There will be a heavy emphasis on voter registration, but also in exposing young adults to unions in a fun environment.
YUM has two main goals, said Bree Halverson, a co-chair of the group. The first is to activate young adults who already are in unions and prepare them to become leaders in their locals and beyond.
The second is to connect young union members with peers who are not organized at work ? including the children of union members. That will make the group a vehicle ?where young union members and unaffiliated people can come together to talk about issues that affect young workers,? she said.
?We want to spread the message of why unions are good,? said Jake Baxter, another YUM co-chair, ?that we can organize ourselves to make the future better for ourselves. Why not do it now? Why wait till they destroy our future? Make it happen now.?
Ultimately, YUM wants to generate social events and become a resource for union activism among young adults, loosely defined as ages 18-32. That could include outreach at colleges, organizing around specific issues, even lobbying at the Legislature and elsewhere on behalf of issues that especially affect young workers.
Register to Rock will be held Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Fine Line Music Caf?, 318 First Ave. N., in downtown Minneapolis. Doors open at 7 p.m. and music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 ($10 with proof you?re a registered voter).
Headlining will be Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista and his 10-piece band, Beat the Donkey. Baptista is a maverick who has backed musicians ranging from Snoop Dogg, Phish and Trey Anastasio, to Sting, Laurie Anderson and David Byrne, to Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Opening the show will be Vertiform and Living in Tent City.
Music is a tool to get friends to try something different, Baxter said. ?When they walk into that venue and see union banners hanging around, we hope they ask ?Who are they? Why are they here??? Union organizers will have tables to help answer those questions.
YUM is getting financial support from 10 Minnesota labor organizations, and received official ?caucus? status at the Minnesota AFL-CIO convention last month. It?s focused in the Twin Cities right now, but hopes to set up branches statewide and take the concept national within 5 years.
Adapted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org