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A New Generation of Unions: Voices and Stories from the Diversity Summit
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At the Diversity Summit, voices from across the union movement said time and again that we as a union movement need to look out for justice and fairness for every worker—on the job, in the community and in the union structure itself.
That includes not just race and gender, but also national origin, ability, sexual orientation, age and gender identity. And it doesn’t just mean talking with workers from various backgrounds—it means making sure that the leadership and the decision makers in unions reflect the members they represent.
One panelist who is an example of diversified leadership is Lorena Gonzalez, the secretary-treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Counsel. Gonzalez, who is a Latina under 40, offered her experience as a model for how to create a more diverse leadership: the central labor county’s previous leadership cultivated her as an organizer, then a political director, before asking her to run for secretary-treasurer. Now, she’s looking for ways to get more young, diverse and multilingual members and staff into the movement.
John Delloro, president of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), noted that in coming decades, the younger population will become increasingly diverse, and that for the union movement to have a future in the long term, we need to not only be relevant to young workers of a wide variety of ethnicities and backgrounds, but make sure all those voices are visible, engaged and represented at the highest level.
Indeed, the importance of reaching out to young workers from diverse backgrounds was a central focus of the day, including discussion of the AFL-CIO’s report, “Young Workers: A Lost Decade,” and a panel featuring young organizers from unions and community groups.
For minorities, women and people with disabilities, union representation is critical to getting ahead. Jeremy Bishop of Pride At Work (PAW) noted that for gay and lesbian workers in most states, a union contract is the only protection they can get against discrimination.
James Andrews, president of the North Carolina State AFL-CIO, moderated a discussion of activists from the audience, who told inspiring and compelling stories about their struggles for diversity and for worker justice at the local level, in their own communities. From Burmese refugees striking to improve their working conditions to a young African American woman becoming an apprentice and then an apprentice instructor with the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) and from actors and performers with disabilities to immigrant farm workers, the union movement is making a real difference in workers’ lives.
It was an energizing and inspiring day and offered hope for a more diverse, community-focused union movement in the future.
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4 Comments
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New generations of labor activists are vital to the re-organizing of American resources. John Delloro is correct in commenting on the import of youth and their diversity. It is very important that we educate with a mindful perspective on labor history while keeping our passions forward looking. The past is a heavy burden; with proper education we can avoid reacting to that past in favor of proactively creating a future given the wisdom of experience. When given the opportunity, youth can break through old facades to reveal a zealous workforce and generate a sustainable healthy economy.
This article and the Diversity Summit, highlight the “importance of reaching out to young workers from diverse backgrounds”. A new generation of union activists will consist of people from many different backgrounds and nationalities. The union movement needs to create momentum through its youth.
I am Jamaican, but I work with other organizers of various backgrounds (at least 10 different ethnic groups daily)…
Unfortunately the word diversity is often over used in mainstream society and people start becoming numd to the true meaning of the word. Yet it is important to focus on the establishment of multiethnic and mullti-cultural groups. Diversity will play a key in reinvigorating the orgaized labor movement because union members are more likely to be involved in a movement they can relate to.