Codes of conduct for meetings aimed at creating better atmosphere for women, youth
A report by the U.S.-based Berger-Marks Foundation suggests trade unions must make significant changes to entice younger workers, particularly women.
The report, Stepping Up, Stepping Back, was the result of a summit that examined the feelings of young women toward organized labour, and how future generations could become more active in unions.
A key finding was that people under the age of 35 are attracted to the organized labour movement, but may be more interested in other social justice organizations where the culture for women and younger activists is more “accepting.”
Barb Byers, Canadian Labour Congress executive vice-president, said unions in Canada have come a long way in this area, but still have a ways to go.
As head of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour in the 1990s, Byers was involved in the creation of the first youth vice-president position within the organization. The CLC also has a national representative that works specifically with young workers, and the CAW has a stand-alone youth department.
The SFL has also implemented special credentials to give organizations an under-26 delegate at conventions.
“We’ve made some structural changes as a movement,” she said. “We’re not changing technically how we do things, but we now communicate in a better way.”
According to the Berger-Marks report, unions need to develop a broader social agenda, create pathways for new activists to move up the ranks and include youth in decision making.
Byers said this is reflective of the needs of Generation Y more generally in the workplace, and unions should take notice.
“We have to know more about Facebook and social media, but we also have to make a bigger push for a broader community connection,” she said. “We need to be challenged and younger workers have pushed that back on us.”
The report also recommends opening up “safe spaces” for conversations and feedback. CUPE, UPSE and the BCGEU have developed Codes of Practice aimed at promoting a more “safe” environment for members to speak out. CUPW is considering a similar code.
Byers said this is a positive step, but it’s also important that unions provide more mentoring for younger members.
“But it’s not just about showing them how we do things now,” she said. “It’s a two-way street. We can learn from them.”
The Berger-Marks report suggests unions teach basic skills, such as strategic planning and campaign building, and that they develop relevant information and share it with younger activists, who want access to critical analyses of politics, labour laws and the economy.
This is all a telling sign, said Byers, of the differences faced by this generation of workers. When she got active in a union at 28, there were no specially designated youth committees. She said younger workers then were in a less precarious position than they are today.
“We didn’t need youth committees because we were all part of the workforce,” she said. “They don’t have that right now. It’s really tough for younger workers today. They’re holding down several jobs and trying to pay off loans. They don’t have time to be involved in a union.”
Byers said more important for unions is the need to recognize the groupings within the broad term “young worker.” In Saskatchewan, for example, young aboriginal workers will be the dominant demographic in the workforce over the next generation.
She said unions also have to recognize some of the fundamental differences of younger workers generally, such as the desire for work-life balance.
“New activists are not prepared to give up evenings and weekends for union activities,” said Byers. “If it’s not something applied in the workplace, it can’t be applied in a union.”
