Young Workers Summit

Submitted by Rep. Susan Davis on Tue, 2010-08-31 12:40

I just got a copy of "USW@WORK" and read about the first ever AFL-CIO Young Workers Summit that was held this summer in Washington DC, where more than 400 participated developing a plan for the future of young workers. At the Summit, young workers focused on making sure young union leaders and activists are taken seriously and their ideas are heard at all levels of the union movement. Student activists, young workers and others generated ideas on the best ways to reach younger workers and build the movement. Sessions like this help to remind us that the labor movement is alive.

Federal data shows that "one of every 6 workers aged 45 to 64 is a union member. Only one of every 20 young people is in a union. Yet a survey last year conducted by the AFL-CIO found that only 31 percent of 18-35 year-olds earn enough money to cover their bills and put some aside. Almost a third is uninsured and one in three still lives at home with their parents". The Economic Policy Institute released a study this past spring showing the "challenges facing jobless young workers who lack a safety net and often don't qualify for unemployment benefits".

The aflcio website "Next Up" section reports that the young workers at the Summit also called for:

  • Organizing a Next Up constituency group.
  • Holding a national youth summit each year.
  • Opening up seats for the Next Up generation on national, state federation and central local body boards.
  • Creating an internship website with information on national, state and local opportunities.
  • Creating blogs that highlight best practices for involving young workers.
  • Re-branding the union movement to appeal to a wider audience.

Our young workers, our future leaders calling to be a part of the labor movement so that unions will survive and thrive. Young people in Vermont, as in the rest of the country are not only the future of the labor movement, they are the present. So, union members and union retirees lets join in solidarity to engage and prepare them. It's our duty.