We all know that the best way to watch a presidential debate is with your friends, from the comfort of your own home. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO Young Workers program has come up with a way for young workers to do just that.

The success of the labor movement depends on union members who are skilled workers as well as informed activists. Therefore, we as labor leaders have a responsibility to provide our youngest members with the tools and knowledge needed to both perform on the job and effect meaningful policy reforms.

The “New Jersey Young Workers” Facebook page is a valuable resource that will help young workers gain insights into state and national issues impacting our labor movement with a wealth of online tools they can use to take action. This page will highlight upcoming labor-sponsored events, where members can learn about labor history, network with their peers, and mobilize to promote our shared union values.

More than 250 participants packed the East Brunswick Hilton ballroom for the 13th Annual Women in Leadership Development (WILD) Conference. The atmosphere of unity and sisterhood was remarkable as both first-time and long-time WILD sisters joined together, representing every union sector, age group, and job category as well as the labor movement’s deep racial and cultural diversity.

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Strong unions empower working people to fight for justice, fairness, dignity and respect. No matter the challenges that we face, your solidarity will ensure a strong and enduring labor movement for generations to come.

In the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s new video, Stay Union, Stay Strong, union members Alicia Abrams, OPEIU 153; Pat Paradiso, AFT 857 President; and Dave Protomastro, UA 24 start the conversation about the importance of unions in the face of the Friedrich’s v. Califorina Teachers Association case, which the U.S. Supreme Court will hear this winter. Please watch the video, and be sure to share it with your union brothers and sisters.

Learning to Understand and Implement Just Economic Reforms for NJ’s Working Families 

Whether we are talking about the labor movement or our society in general, young workers are the future. This point is well understood by the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and its affiliates, which proudly sponsored over 50 young union members to participate in an innovative power-building workshop called Commonsense Economics on Tuesday, September 29, 2015.
 
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Union volunteers who were introduced to app-based labor walk packets for the first time on Saturday returned from the labor walk hugely enthusiastic about the new technology. The feedback from the volunteers who offered to download and use the app was overwhelmingly positive. They said it was easy and fun to use, and more efficient than the traditional paper packets because it allows more union households to be reached in a shorter period of time.

Special thanks to the Bergen County CLC for piloting this exciting new digital technology.

Common Sense Economics is an empowering workshop that includes interactive discussions and training exercises to equip participants with the tools to mobilize supporters and advance the labor movement’s progressive economic agenda.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO Young Workers Advisory Committee looks forward to joining with IBEW 456, Central Labor Councils, union affiliates, community partners and young workers groups throughout the state to sponsor a statewide Common Sense Economics training to educate, inspire, and engage the next generation of union members.

We thank the many volunteer union members who made the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s first statewide labor walk of the season a big success. With nearly 50 labor candidates on the ballot, we have the power to improve our economy by electing our own. We’re counting on all of you to join us on Saturdays through the fall to help elect candidates who will keep our state at the forefront of strengthening workers’ voices and preserving workers’ rights.

More and more young union workers are becoming involved in the political process after realizing that the opportunity to earn a decent living and live a decent life depends on who they vote into office. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO has been leading the effort to encourage young workers from every sector of the labor movement to pursue a progressive agenda through the state federation’s YES (Youth Engagement in Solidarity) groups forming through our Central Labor Councils around the state.

IBEW Local 94 in Mercer County became a classroom on Friday, July 31, 2015, for young workers taking part in Common Sense Economics led by Jennifer Higgins of AFT Local 1904 and Carli Meneses, president of IAM Local 2339N.

The workshop focused on how workers can harness their collective power to improve their economic circumstances. First, labor must be united. Second, all members of the labor movement – especially our future leaders – must  be engaged in the political process and be invested in electing leaders who believe in advancing progressive policies that help working families get and stay ahead.