In New Jersey, the Passaic County CLC is at the forefront of engaging and empowering our young union brothers and sisters through a program called Passaic County YES (Youth Engagement in Solidarity). The group which began meeting last year has an action packed agenda for 2015 that will focus on building grassroots solidarity among young workers and combining our strength with the broad labor movement to achieve progressive reforms.
The group met tonight at UFCW 1262 in Clifton, NJ and saw an outpouring of support from unions across the county including, CWA, IAM, IBEW, IUPAT, OPEIU, and UA. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO is proud to recognize Passaic County CLC President Juan Negron and Passaic County YES Chair Alicia Bruce from OPEIU 153 for their leadership and ongoing commitment to youth empowerment in Passaic County.
During the meeting, young workers had a lively discussion about the issues that matter to them, including higher education access and affordability as well as the ability to afford a home, raise a family, and save for retirement. These have been the bread and butter issues of the labor movement for generations, and young workers will be vital to ensuring that unions remain the driving force for unlocking economic opportunity and prosperity for all working families.
Passaic County YES has several events planned over the next few months including a Common Sense Economics workshop and a visit to the American Labor Museum. These events as well as other activities and insightful news will be posted to the “Passaic County YES” Facebook page which we encourage you to “like”.
The New Jersey State AFL-CIO is committed to supporting the creation of young workers groups across our state and views this as one of the most important investments we can make in the future of the labor movement. We once again praise our affiliates and young union brothers and sisters, who will make the success of these young workers programs possible.