New worker a big problem for old labor

With the election of Barack Obama, organized labor hopes that union membership will regain the strength it enjoyed in the past. But will these old-line organizations be ready for the attitudes and expectations of the young workers who will enter their ranks?

The young employees of today are far different than those who grew up with the more pronounced union movement of years past. While research indicates that many of them support labor’s objectives, they are not necessarily prepared to follow the movement’s rules. The business manager for one union said it best: “When I joined the local, I learned to follow the guidelines. There was no need to read the collective bargaining agreement. That was the steward’s job. I attended the meetings just like everyone else. When there was a question about work rules, we consulted the steward and he consulted the book.

“As president of a local, I now receive text messages from young members. No meetings, no phone calls, a few e-mails, but mostly text messages. They ask questions like, ‘Why does it seem to say one thing on Page 15 of the agreement and the exact opposite on Page 276? Is it really necessary to follow the rules all the time? Why are my dues so high? What do you guys do with all that money?’ And finally,” she said, “the one that’s the most difficult, ‘What’s this seniority thing all about? Why do I have to wait in line for a position when I’m as qualified as the person working right next to me?’ “

Over the years, I have tried to help union leaders understand the impact of these changing worker attitudes. The typical demographic in my audiences has been 50-plus, male, entrenched and seniority-oriented. As employers and the economy in general have evolved, these leaders have found themselves fighting to preserve work rules rather than to increase wages; and battling for worker job security rather than increasing member rolls.

Local leaders struggle to explain why a skilled worker must put in 8,000 hours at apprentice wages when he or she is essentially performing at the same level as a journeyman who is three years older and earning 50 percent more. Union recruiters find it difficult to sell the movement’s beliefs to a high school graduate who has a fast car, an iPod, a Wii and some pocket change to boot. Why should a young worker listen to someone who says he has to spend four years honing his skills and even then isn’t guaranteed a steady job?

Some argue that with the activism and sacrifice of veteran members over the past 50 years, unions have succeeded in diminishing their relevance because of corporations’ acceptance of better working conditions and the federal and state legislation that enforces them. With a plethora of labor laws already on the books and a new Congress that seems intent on enhancing workers’ rights even more, one has to wonder whether these leaders are prepared to deal with the expectations of these emerging members.

In so many cases, they are led by a local leader who sticks to the same story he or she has repeated for the past 20 years: “If you’re a union member, you get better wages, better training and better working conditions. We’ll represent you in grievances with management and support you when there’s a job action or strike.”

But, the young worker wonders, “why should I be involved in all that when I can work for the non-union company down the street and make the same money if you subtract out the union dues? Besides, there’s no such thing as job security, and I can pick up the training I need on my terms.”

The generation entering the work force today outnumbers every age group in recent times. They will make history simply because of their size and, therefore, influence. Recognizing their general support of labor’s objectives, it would be easy to see union numbers once again multiplying in the coming years. But imagine millions of these young union members overrunning the gates of the AFL-CIO, demanding to do things their way. What’s AFL-CIO President John Sweeney going to do about that?

> Robert W. Wendover is director of the Center for Generational Studies in Aurora, Colo.