The Young Worker and Activist Working Group will look at the best ways to support young labor activists, educators, organizers, researchers and rank-and-file members in and out of unions in the Labor Movement.

This group will foster a space to build resources and discuss leadership and professional development needs for young workers, as well as be a professional and academic space for internship and youth labor education staff to share curriculum, identify and share best practices to support young workers and students activists interested in the labor movement. Our group is open to all people interested in discussing the opportunities and challenges in working with and developing young leaders (18-35 years of age) in the Labor Movement. 

We recognize that the traditional path to labor activism through rank and file activism and leadership development has been dwindling as fewer young people can find union jobs. The labor movement, in unions as well as other worker organizations, need the innovation and leadership of a new generation of activists. Our mission is to serve as a space to dialogue on the importance of youth activism and programs in developing the next generation, a more diverse generation, of labor activists.

Some topics of interest include, but are not limited to: best practices for student internship programs in labor, supporting students and young workers, skill training, team-building, anti-oppression, leadership development, inter-generational gaps, career services and points of future collaboration between members of the group.

We hope to serve UALE and the Labor Movement by focusing on the varying types of work being done to build a more intergenerational labor movement and new generation of labor activists. 

The following individuals listed below are part of this committee:

• Liz Espinoza, UCLA Labor Center


• Alicia Flores, UC Berkeley Labor Center


• Sarah Hughes, CSUNY Murphy Institute


• Deanna Richards, AFSCME, Union Scholars Program


• Patrick Scott, AFL-CIO Union Summer Program>

Join Us

To learn more about the working group, or to join, please contact one of the above. You can also log into the UALE site. Go to "Working Groups"> "Manage your membership" and then click on the box(es) for any you want to join, including ours.