5.27.2005
Why young people should care about labor...
I've been thinking a lot lately about why (and if) young people should care about labor issues. I certainly care, and many of the people I talk to day to day (including Kitten and Brother Josh) also seem to care, but I couldn't quite determine why. After a quick brainstorming, here are five reasons that I came up with about why young people should (and do) care about workers rights and labor issues. Feel free to add reasons, tell me why these reasons don't apply, or make a case for why workers' rights are not the most important issue of the day for young people.
I'm not really sure what definition of "young people" I am using here, but I suppose it has less to do with actual ages and more to do with a sense of not being very established and still deciding where to concentrate one's energy and efforts. In any case, here goes:
1. Everyone (including young people) benefits from better working conditions, higher wages, and safer and more family supportive workplaces. The labor movement is responsible for many of the basic benefits that we take for granted, such as the 40-hour workweek, pensions, health insurance, sick leave, vacation leave, and overtime pay. As workers, young people stand to directly benefit from collective bargaining, and everyone benefits from a stronger and healthier economy that results from higher wages and better working conditions.
2. Because people in every country work and are often struggling against the same transnational employers, fights for workers rights can transcend geographic borders and connect people worldwide. In this way, the labor movement has the potential to be a global movement for justice. The labor movement is also linked to many other social justice movements, such as immigrant rights, women's rights, and GLBTQ rights.
3. The labor movement in the United States needs young people! Young people bring fresh ideas and new energy that could invigorate the labor movement. Many of the unions in the U.S. are currently in a state of transition, with internal controversies over where to spend money and declining union membership putting pressure on unions to find new strategies, new members, and new energy.
4. Caring about labor rights is sexy! Fighting for justice and fairness is just about the coolest thing you can do (at least in my opinion!)
5. The labor movement has lots of space for young people to become involved. From the AFL-CIO's Organizing Institute (http://www.aflcio.org/aboutunions/oi/) to Union Summer (http://www.aflcio.org/aboutunions/unionsummer/) to the many organizing, research, and communications jobs across the country, there are plenty of ways for young people to get involved and move up in labor organizations.
I'm not really sure what definition of "young people" I am using here, but I suppose it has less to do with actual ages and more to do with a sense of not being very established and still deciding where to concentrate one's energy and efforts. In any case, here goes:
1. Everyone (including young people) benefits from better working conditions, higher wages, and safer and more family supportive workplaces. The labor movement is responsible for many of the basic benefits that we take for granted, such as the 40-hour workweek, pensions, health insurance, sick leave, vacation leave, and overtime pay. As workers, young people stand to directly benefit from collective bargaining, and everyone benefits from a stronger and healthier economy that results from higher wages and better working conditions.
2. Because people in every country work and are often struggling against the same transnational employers, fights for workers rights can transcend geographic borders and connect people worldwide. In this way, the labor movement has the potential to be a global movement for justice. The labor movement is also linked to many other social justice movements, such as immigrant rights, women's rights, and GLBTQ rights.
3. The labor movement in the United States needs young people! Young people bring fresh ideas and new energy that could invigorate the labor movement. Many of the unions in the U.S. are currently in a state of transition, with internal controversies over where to spend money and declining union membership putting pressure on unions to find new strategies, new members, and new energy.
4. Caring about labor rights is sexy! Fighting for justice and fairness is just about the coolest thing you can do (at least in my opinion!)
5. The labor movement has lots of space for young people to become involved. From the AFL-CIO's Organizing Institute (http://www.aflcio.org/aboutunions/oi/) to Union Summer (http://www.aflcio.org/aboutunions/unionsummer/) to the many organizing, research, and communications jobs across the country, there are plenty of ways for young people to get involved and move up in labor organizations.
