Shuler: We Need to Let Young People Know About Unions
Nearly 300 young activists and students came to Washington, D.C., last week for the A Better Deal 2009 conference, and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler was on hand to let these young people know that the labor movement is here to fight for them.
Sponsored by Demos and an array of youth and progressive organizations, A Better Deal 2009 looked at jobs, debt, education, health care and other issues facing young people in a challenging economy. The Electrical Workers (IBEW) were there as well and have a great new video on the conference and young people’s concerns about building a strong economic future.
Here’s what Shuler has to say on the need to make the union movement accessible, relevant and attentive to the next generation:
I think now is the perfect time to reach out to young people, because of the economic devastation that we’ve been experiencing. I think young people have been disproportionately affected, and we need to connect the dots for them and make sure they know that the labor movement is the best answer to their economic troubles.
Jobs Crisis Will Affect Young Workers for a Lifetime, More Recovery Aid Needed
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Speaking at the second and final day of the Demos conference, A Better Deal 2009, Algernon Austin, an analyst at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), said the U.S. economy was failing young people long before the current recession was officially declared. He called the prospects for young workers “bleak” and said the nation needs additional investment in recovery.
Even before the recession, we had a very weak economy in terms of job growth, economic growth—it was one of the historically weakest periods for job growth—and now we’ve been hit with the hardest recession we’ve seen since the Great Depression. For young people, this impact has been particularly difficult.
AFSCME Members Make ‘House Calls for Health Care’
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Across the country this weekend, AFSCME nurses and community leaders made house calls, getting their neighbors mobilized to pass health care reform that provides affordable coverage to everyone. These nurses and volunteers asked the people they visited to contact their senators and House members and demand health care reform that really works.
Clad in green scrubs, the AFSCME members went door to door in key states, including Arkansas, Nebraska, Maine, Ohio, North Dakota, Louisiana, Indiana and Delaware. Working America members also took part in door-to-door canvasses for health care reform.
Valentina Zamora-Arreola, a registered nurse in Arkansas, said that health care workers see every day the need for a fairer system:
One of the most important things that we want to see is that healthcare reform is done right. We want to make sure that nurses have their voice out there. We deal with the people when they are sick and we want to make sure that we are looking at healthcare reform options and that we have a public health option.
Shuler: Young People Must Take Lead in Building a New Economy
Today at Demos’ A Better Deal 2009 conference, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler got a chance to lay out her vision for a new economy—and to hear from young leaders about what they need.
Shuler, the youngest person ever elected as secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, is making outreach to young people her top priority as a leader in the labor movement.
In a wide-ranging speech that touched on making sure new jobs are good jobs, financial reform, health care and the Employee Free Choice Act, Shuler talked about the crisis the nation faces—and the opportunity we have to fundamentally rebuild our economy so it works for future generations.
I don’t need to tell you that we’re in an economic crisis. Your generation is living it.
Live Coverage of Liz Shuler at A Better Deal 2009
Seth Michaels is posting live from the 2009 A Better Deal Conference.
Today, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler is speaking at “A Better Deal 2009.”
The conference, which runs today and Friday, is hosted by Demos, an advocacy organization focused on building a fairer economy, and a variety of sponsor organizations focused on youth and the economy.
Shuler will speak about the challenges facing young people and the policies we must fight for to build a better future.
We’re covering Shuler’s speech live on Twitter, and you can follow it right here.
Tomorrow, Join Us for ‘A Better Deal’
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Tomorrow, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler will give the keynote address at the A Better Deal 2009 conference here in Washington, D.C.
The conference, which runs tomorrow and Friday, is hosted by Demos, an advocacy organization focused on building a fairer economy, and a variety of sponsor organizations focused on youth and the economy.
Shuler Kicking off Conference for ‘A Better Deal’
Continuing the fight to build a fairer economy now and for future generations, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler will give the keynote address at the upcoming A Better Deal 2009 conference hosted by Demos, an advocacy organization focused on building a fairer economy.
The conference, set for Oct. 15-16 in Washington, D.C., will look at the crisis facing today’s young people in an economy that just isn’t working for them. As documented in the AFL-CIO report, “Young Workers: A Lost Decade,” young people are struggling to find good jobs that provide them with fair wages, health benefits, retirement security and decency on the job. The next generation could be on track to be the first in a century to be worse off than their parents, and that sets a dangerous standard for generations to come.
