Young Workers are entering a workforce that is still recovering from the Coronavirus Pandemic while also dealing with high inflation and rampant income inequality.

There is no shortage of economic anxiety.

While the circumstances may be new, the core issue - how to get a good-paying job with benefits that will lead to a secure retirement - is not.

For many in Generation Z, the answer is clear: Join a Union.

This generational momentum has given the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) an excellent opportunity to shore up its own future and raise a new crop of leaders.

"Unions are cool again," said Toronto Local 353 Member Tim Shilson, who also chairs his NextGen committee, the IBEW's Young Worker Initiative in Canada.  "You might think Gen Z is on their phone watching TikTok videos, but they're also watching giants like Apple, Amazon and Starbucks Employees demand representation and sign a Union Card.  Gen Z is just starting to see that a Union is the best path to the Middle Class."

That sentiment is borne out in data from The Center for American Progress that shows Generation Z is more supportive of Unions than Baby Boomers, Generation X - and even Millennials, who are regarded as particularly Pro-Union.

For the study, which used data from 2020, Gen Z members were 23 or younger, Millennials were 24 to 39, Gen Xers were 40 to 55 and Baby Boomers were 56 to 74.

The report showed Generation Z with a mean approval rating of 64.3 out of 100 for Unions, compared with 60.5 for Millennials, 57.8 for Generation X and 57.2 for Baby Boomers.

What's more, Gen Z is also more supportive of Unions than older generations were at their age.

"Gen Z sees the value in organizing," said Madison, Wisconsin Local 965 Business Manager Dillon Gorman, a 31-year-old. "Compensation is part of it, but they also want a voice in their workplace.  They're getting the message from older generations of 'Don't work like I did.'"

Gorman, who is also a Member of RENEW, the U.S. counterpart to NextGen, said Gen Z is willing to learn and listen, but they recognize their own value and won't stick around if they're not being treated right.

"Money is important, but it's also everything else," Gorman said. "They don't want to have to work on their days off.  They want fair scheduling and time off for family and the ability to have a conversation with the boss if they want."

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: The Electrical Worker Online (ibew.org)

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