(BUFFALO) - Seeing an imperative need to attract and involve more young people in the Western New York Labor Movement, Buffalo AFL-CIO President Michael Hoffert is moving forward on plans to create a local Young Unionists chapter and is reaching out to college students on the campus of the University of Buffalo in order to widen the scope of the effort.

"We need to raise Union awareness with young people and get our information out to not only Young Unionists, those under the age of forty, but young people who are attending our local colleges and universities.  A lot of young people out there just don't know what Unions are all about.  They really don't understand it.  We need to educate them and that's how it's going to get done," Hoffert tells WNYLaborToday.com.

During the recently-held Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation's annual meeting, Hoffert addressed the 150 area Labor Leaders and Representatives in attendance, and outlined his plan to initiate a Young Unionist group - as well as taking advantage of the new communications vehicles that so many younger members and Labor Unions are beginning to grasp - including the on-line social networking site facebook, where the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council page, Hoffert said, has just surpassed more than 1,000 fans.  The Buffalo Central Labor Council, through its affiliated Unions, represents 80,000 Unionized/Working Men and Women.

"It's been exciting," said Hoffert, who also stressed the need for Organized Labor to continue to "organize" and grow its ranks by becoming "even more diverse." 

"I've met with representatives of the United University Professions and am reaching out to several student liaisons at the University at Buffalo.  We're starting with UB and hopefully we can make connections at every local campus across the area.  I'm hopeful we can get monthly meetings scheduled and arrange for speakers from the Union Community to talk to students.  They need to understand what Unions are and that a Union-Represented job means better wages and benefits," Hoffert tells WNYLaborToday.com.