(WASHINGTON) - The best person to reach out to, communicate with and educate people about the Union Movement, is "a passionate, militant, committed Union Member...[and] someone who looks like you," said a young Communications Workers of America (CWA) member during a question-and-answer session at the opening of the National AFL-CIO's Young Workers Summit that was held in Washington, D.C. last week.

The back-and-forth between AFL-CIO Leaders and the 400 young workers from around the Nation was a two-way street, as Union Leaders asked young workers questions about their concerns, ideas and vision for the Labor Movement's future, and the audience questioned AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler and Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker.

The kick-off session of the three-day conference in Washington was webcast live and viewers were able to join in an interactive discussion.

Shuler told the young activists and leaders: "This is not just a three-day meeting with a couple of receptions and some speakers. This is the birth of change and you are the 'change makers.'  We're going to be picking your brains and working together for three days."

The young workers participated in a number of breakout groups with policy experts, Labor Leaders, student activists, community allies and a couple of political comedians and professional athletes.  The workshops are focused on topics identified by young workers across the country, such as communications, organizing and mobilizing, issues facing this generation and integrating young workers into the Union Movement.

Shuler, meanwhile, identified several key areas where the Labor Movement must develop effective and relevant strategies to reach younger workers and build the movement.

"We need to communicate in new ways-using cutting edge technology and messages that appeal to younger people.  We need to open up leadership opportunities and provide more mentoring.  We need to do a better job of educating the public about the Labor Movement - who we are and what we do, especially in the schools.  We need to adapt our structure and be more open to organizing unconventional industries," she said.

Schuler also got the morning's first laugh when she followed up on the "unconventional industries" point - "You may have heard the UFCW just organized the medical marijuana facilities in California."

Trumka, who said the workers at the summit "are the faces of change, the future of American Labor," outlined the corporate and political assault of the past three decades that has stripped workers of the freedom to join Unions, instilled fear, shipped jobs overseas and more recently shattered the economy.  While he said, "I believe we can and will fix a lot of this-and I want you to believe that and fight for that with me," Trumka added: "But quite frankly, our economy will not return to the 1950s.  The global economy is here to stay.  You're not going to have the economy your parents and grandparents knew.  You're not going to get a job and retire from it thirty years later.  Heck, you probably don't want to.  Maybe the economy has changed beneath us, but we've got to find sure footing.  Our charge-your charge-is to build a new foundation. To rebuild power for America's Workers.  And whatever the job, whatever the problem, this we know: There is no better way to face it; there is no better way to solve it, than together - with a collective voice."

In an instant electronic poll, summit participants were asked which of five options were the most important and effective way to cut through the corporate and media clutter about Unions and to effectively reach out to non-Union workers, as well as to re-energize Union Workers who are sitting on the sidelines.  Better education - both in schools and within Unions themselves - about what the Union Movement does, from wages to benefits to social activism, was the top choice at 36.7%.  It was followed by: Creating a better image of Unions (22.1%); Better mentoring of Young Union Members/Organizing non-traditional industries (9.4%); and Greater reliance on social media to communicate (7%).

One on-line commenter wrote: "We must re-educate people about Labor Unions and what they do for Workers' Rights, Fair Labor Practices, contracts and Health Insurance.  We need an 'education power push,' because of all the anti-Union labor advertisements, the millions (of dollars that) have been spent on by companies and large corporations.  [Union Members] need to get involved become an activist, Labor Organizer, steward and make a stronger Union Labor Workforce once again."

A member of Jobs with Justice said new media - such as Twitter, Facebook and texting - are certainly useful tools, but added: "You still need to go face-to-face and put in the time."  Her point was echoed by another instant poll in which 78% of the conferees said a combination of social media, traditional media and personal contact is the best way to communicate.

Shuler told the young workers: "I firmly believe that there is no better way to make America's economy work for us individually and for all people who work for a living than with a Union.  I believe there is no better way to build a powerful voice for your values and for your generation than through Unions.  I know it.  You know it.  But there are a lot of young people out there who don't know it.  And are we okay with that?  That's why we're here-what are 'you' going to do to change it?  Get ready, Next Up.  It's time to make it happen."

The Next Up Young Workers Summit wrapped up over the weekend as the young workers and Union Leaders gathered to discuss and adopt the essential elements the summit will develop for "A Blueprint for Our Future."

Editor's Note: Don't forget to go to the Next Up Facebook page to connect with other young Union Members and activists and join the conversation.  And join the AFL-CIO's text message network by texting AFLCIO to 225568 (data and message rates may apply)

Young Workers Call for More Communication, Larger Role in Unions

The participants in the Next Up conference developed a game plan for the future that focuses on making sure young Union Leaders and activists are taken seriously and their ideas are heard at all levels of the Union Movement.

Following three days in workshops and breakouts, student activists, community allies, a couple of political comedians and professional athletes and young workers generated several key ideas on the best ways to reach younger workers and build the movement.

In reports to the conference's closing session, the breakout groups recommended and called for increased mentoring programs to help young Union Members grow into leadership roles and establishing a national youth mobilization effort as an AFL-CIO priority.

The young workers 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; and Re-branding the Union Movement to appeal to a wider audience.

Young Workers Summit: NFL Players Call For Union Solidarity

When an offensive or defensive line of a football team stands shoulder-to-shoulder, it's almost impossible to move it. Today, two National Football League (NFL) players came to the AFL-CIO Young Workers Summit to invite their fellow Union Members to stand with them in one of the toughest battles they face on or off the field.

The 32, super-rich owners of the NFL teams terminated the current collective bargaining agreement two years early because they say "it isn't working for them," Domonique Foxworth of the Baltimore Ravens and a member of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) executive committee, told the young Union activists.

But in a scenario all too familiar to other Union Workers, the NFL owners refuse to provide audited financial information to help the NFLPA understand how they're hurting after generating $9 billion in revenue during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Said Foxworth: "We're in the middle of the biggest battle with the team owners of the National Football League that our Union has faced since we won the right to free agency over twenty years ago.  Like most management these days, the owners are demanding givebacks, this time to the tune of a staggering one-billion dollars, although not one team has lost money."  In fact, all 32 teams increased in value about 500% over the past 15 years, said Foxworth, adding NFL owners also want players to pay for team travel and the cost of running the practice facility.

But money is not the only issue, Foxworth and Stephon Heyer of the Washington Redskins said. In a sport with an average career length of just 3.4 years because of the physical toll on their bodies, players only get five years of Health Care after they retire.

"[That is] if we're lucky enough to play three full seasons," Foxworth said, "and no one would argue that facing a guy like Stephon [who stands 6-feet-6-inches tall and weighs 330 pounds] puts one's health in great jeopardy every second on the field!"

Billionaire owners also have proposed restructuring the retirement plan to push all the risk onto the players.  Foxworth told the group of young Union leaders and activists: "We're blessed to play football for a living, but this battle is a stark reminder to us that football is a brutal billion-dollar business.  The owners are management, and they see us as revenue-generating widgets.  We have to fight to protect ourselves in careers that usually end before we're thirty years old, but leave us with injures that endure for the rest of our lives.  We are not complaining, but explaining to you why we understand how crucial union strength and solidarity is."