If Democrats Don't Pass Health Reform, Will They Lose Younger Voters?

As a new article in Newsweek points out, young Americans are the least likely to be insured. And no, not because they're lazy or don't want to pay:

Young Americans are uniquely affected by the nation's broken health-care system. The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that aims to improve health care, found in a report released in December that nearly half of all young adults between 19 and 29 said they were uninsured at some time during the past year. Because this age range brings with it a number of transition points that can lead to coverage being cut off—high school and college graduation, and early internships or jobs that don't provide coverage—it's a decade fraught with peril.

Given the weakness in the economy, says Sara Collins, co-author of the report, young adults looking for insurance through their employers face an uphill battle. If the economy gets worse, so too will the health-care outlook for young Americans.

So it's no surprise that young Americans are more in favor of comprehensive health care reform than any other age group. From the article:

...even after months of demonization, including countless falsehoods about government takeovers and "death panels," young people remain the group that supports health-care reform at the highest rates. When the Commonwealth Fund asked young respondents whether it was important for Congress and the president to improve the health-care system, 88 percent said yes.

Now if Congress lets down young people on health care, will young people turn away from political involvement? If one of the most important issues to young Americans is allowed to wither and die, what will young people think of the politicians they voted for, the ones who promised that this time would be different? From the Newsweek piece:

If the Democrats drop health care, there will be an entire generation of young voters unable to point to a single major legislative accomplishment from the party during their lifetime. And as far they will be concerned, when it came time for the Democrats to act on an issue that was particularly important to them, they folded.

Democrats worried about their re-election campaigns this fall should be very concerned about this. Young people are a crucial part of their base, and were instrumental in Obama's electoral success. If they turn away from the Democrats or from politics, much like my generation did after the promises President Clinton made turned to dust, it will be the party's loss most of all. So Congress should pass health care reform--if not for the country, if not for all the uninsured or under-insured Americans outthere--to at least keep alive the hope, activism, and civic-mindedness of our nation's youngest voters. After all, corny as it sounds, they are America's future. Let's keep them healthy, happy, and politically engaged.

Union Plus Scholarships: Apply Now!

One of the most popular pages on the UFCW.org web site is the UFCW Scholarship page. And for good reason: the United Food and Commercial Workers has one of the youngest memberships of any union and our members are often likely to be of college age or have children they want to send to school.

But did you know that along with the scholarships offered by the UFCW itself, members and dependents are eligible for scholarships through Union Plus?


Union Plus is part of Union Privilege, which provides consumer benefits for union members and dependents throughout the entire labor movement. If you don't know about them, take a minute to check out the stuff they offer: great rates on insurance, discounts on theme park tickets, bargains at Powell's, and a lot more.

Last year UFCW members and dependents Christa E. Moore, John Ertl, Colin T. Hirsch, Corey Campbell, Katie Christensen, Matthew J. D’Armi, Taylor Reckert, Christopher Hernandez, and Jacquelyn McGinnis all received Union Plus Scholarships totaling more than $13 thousand!

And while you're looking at stuff on the internet, why not go over and become a fan of the Union Plus Facebook page? Union Plus is giving $100 to the Union SAFE fund for every member who becomes a fan. The Union SAFE fund gives grants to union members during times of hardship.

The $100 that's donated for you simply clicking on a link is going to make a huge difference in the life of a union member somewhere, so take a minute and become a fan.

Workers' Memorial Day

Today, April 28th, is recognized around the world as Workers' Memorial Day.
Each year, 6,000 workers loose their lives on the job. Today, the National Labor College is breaking ground for a memorial to these everyday heroes in recognition for the sacrifice they have made.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Workers' Memorial will be attended by the new Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, America's new Secretary of Labor who is committed to putting the needs of working people at the heart of her Department.

UFCW members, young and old, work around dangerous equipment and in hazardous conditions. Like many workers, we work under immense pressure to get the job done and may not always have enough help. As a result, injuries occur. Sometimes these injuries are minor, but all too often they may result in death or traumatic injuries, such as amputations. Learn more about how you can Stay Safe at work.

According to the International Labor Organization:

-Each year, more than two million women and men die as a result of work-related accidents and diseases
-Workers suffer approximately 270 million occupational accidents each year, and fall victim to some 160 million incidents of work-related illnesses
-Hazardous substances kill 440,000 workers annually – asbestos claims 100,000 lives
-One worker dies every 15 seconds worldwide. 6,000 workers die every day. Work kills more people than wars.

According to the AFL-CIO blog, two congressional hearings today will focus on strengthening the nation’s workplace safety and health protections. The House Education and Labor Committee’s hearing is “Are OSHA’s Penalties Adequate to Deter Health and Safety Violations?” and the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Worker Safety’s hearing is “Introducing Meaningful Incentives for Safe Workplaces and Meaningful Roles for Victims and Their Families.” This is a significant change from the Bush administration. A report released April 1 revealed the Bush administration’s OSHA systematically failed to perform follow-up inspections for employers who put workers in serious danger. At 45 work sites where OSHA oversight was deficient, 58 workers subsequently were killed by job hazards. Click here to read the report. [pdf]

Scholarship Deadline Extended: Now April 15!

The UFCW Scholarship program has extended the deadline for 2009!

Your union is about more than your paycheck and benefits. The UFCW is about workers coming together to build better lives for ourselves. It's about creating opportunity.

Apply by April 15, 2009 for your opportunity to be awarded one of the several scholarships of up to $8,000 that will be awarded to UFCW members and their dependents. Recipients will be notified June 19, 2009.

To find out more, or to apply online, visit UFCW.org/Scholarship.

If you are unable to apply online, you may request an application by writing to:
UFCW International Union, Attn: Scholarship Program, 1775 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
If you need the scholarship rules or application in another language,
please contact us (1-800-551-4010) and we will obtain assistance for you.

Outta the Way, Young Whippersnapper!

Young workers have a new challenge in the workplace: Old People.

Actually, it's more experienced workers.

As the recession deepens, unemployment among teenagers is as high as its been in over 60 years. Retirees, uable to live on thier savings along with college grads, many of whom can't find employment in their fields, have both started taking suplimental jobs in the service industry. Jobs that historically have been the starting point for younger workers. Economist Andrew Sum calls it the "Bump-down" effect.

An article on youth employment in the Las Vegas Sun paints a pretty grim picture:

Studies show minorities and teens from low-income families are disproportionately affected, and Sum predicts the trend, if allowed to continue, will create a new underclass of American youth.

Yikes. A generation of workers without jobs. What's needed to ensure that younger workers are getting the skills and experience needed for future work? What jobs are teens better suited for than college grads or retirees? Share your ideas here!

Know Your Rights at Work

Young Workers: working longer and later

A March 2007 study issued by the University of North Carolina reports young people (ages 14-18) working during the school year are averaging 16 hours of work per week.

The study, which interviewed more than 900 working teenagers, found teens working long hours in unsupervised -- and sometimes dangerous -- environments, some of which violate federal laws.

"Despite federal regulations prohibiting teens under 18 from using certain types of dangerous equipment such as slicers, dough mixers, box crushers and paper balers, or serving or selling alcohol in places where it is consumed, more than half of the boys and 43 percent of the girls said they had done work that was prohibited, the study found."

Study findings and results are published here.

As service industry jobs continue to grow, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates more than 18 million new jobs created in the service industry between 2004 and 2014, young workers are exposed more and more increasingly to job scenarios that violate their rights. Young workers are often working their first job, and employers often fail to provide them with basic training or information on their rights.

In union shops it is vital for existing union members to take the lead in introducing new employees to their basic workplace rights. Fostering these relationships early on can prevent members of corporate management from furthering and environment of misunderstanding and lack in information.

"We should let [young workers] know that the union is about a sense of power," said Kevin Blair a UFCW organizer. "The boss can't just push you around. It comes down to a dignity thing." Blair thinks the corporate system is "creating people who just follow the rules and ... never speak up."

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces laws providing five basic rights for job applicants and employees. The laws apply to applicants, employees and former employees, regardless of their citizenship or work authorization status. Full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees are protected if they work for a covered employer. All federal government agencies and most other employers with at least 15 employees are covered by our laws. Most unions and employment agencies also are covered. If you work for one of these employers, you have the right to:

-Work free of discrimination.
-Work free of harrassment.
-Complain about Job Discrimination Without Punishment.
-Request Workplace Changes for Your Religion or Disability.
-Keep Your Medical Information Private.

Union members often have additional protections in their union contracts as highlighted here on the MyUFCW site.

For a more detailed look at the core rights enforced by the EEOC and more information on other federal workplace laws visit www.youth.eeoc.gov.

How Are You Working For Change?

Registering voters. Volunteering at food banks. Phone banking for candidates. Organizing workers and improving working conditions. Raising money to fund research for important cures.

These are just a few of the things young workers are doing throughout the nation to make a differnce. With health care costs out of control, the economy a mess, rapidly rising gas prices, escalating college costs, the mortgage crisis, a broken immigration system...our nation needs all the help it can get.

This is a year for change if there ever was one. And hundreds of thousands of UFCW members will be working hard to send Barack Obama to the White House to make that change real.

But change doesn't start with the President or the people in Washington, as Senator Obama points out in his speeches.

Change starts with us. We can make a difference. We can help UFCW members, workers, and fellow Americans around the nation in times of trouble. We can oppose greedy CEOs and corporations, and fight for better wages, affordable, quality health care for all, improved working conditions, and the dignity of a secure retirement.

We can speak together and become more powerful. We can stick together and make our voices heard--and we can shout out for a real shot at the American Dream for each and every person in this country.

We can all be leaders. Young workers can and will lead the way to the change we need today.

How are you working for change? Tell us what you're doing to make this country a better place.

World Day Against Child Labour

June 12th is World Day Against Child Labour. As hundreds of events take place around the globe, it is worth taking a moment to recognize that child labor is happening not only in countries far away, but right here in the U.S.

On May 12, 2008, an on-going investigation into child labor violations at the Agriprocessors processing plant in Postville, Iowa, was derailed by a conflicting raid conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Among those rounded up in the raid were numerous children, some as young as thirteen years old.

Mark Lauritsen, International Vice President of the UFCW, says Agriprocessors has gotten away with the labor violations for too long. He states: "There is not one other meatpacker operator in this country that has the same sustained long record of law violations as Agriprocessors, not one. They're acting like a renegade in an already tough industry. It's not good for the industry, it's not good for the workers who work in it."

Despite evidence of the use of child labor, Agriprocessors has yet to be held legally accountable for its actions.

While children across the country caught the bus for school and headed off for classes, the children at Agriprocessors went off to work in one of the most dangerous industries in the country.

Child labor anywhere is a disaster, but the discovery of child labor in an American packing plant is an outrage. To ignore the violations that happened there would not only be neglectful of our laws, but a disgrace to our core American values and what we stand for as a country.

The UFCW has never tolerated the use of child labor and never will. Together, we must expose the misdeeds of companies driven by corporate greed and help build stronger workplaces where respect for workers, and those children who will be the next generation of workers, is top priority. Learn More here.

UFCW Endorses Obama

It's official--the UFCW is endorsing Senator Barack Obama for president in 2008!

In a statement to the press, Joe Hansen, president of UFCW International, had the following to say about the endorsement:

"UFCW members are energized to seize [the opportunity this election] to change America and restore the American Dream for workers and their families....We are the largest union of young workers with more than forty percent of our members under the age of thirty. Senator Obama’s message of changing hope into reality has inspired our members, particularly our young members, across the country.

We have the utmost respect for Senator Clinton and her tireless efforts on behalf of working people. And while both Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have a vision to change America, we believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to build a movement to unite our country that will deliver the type of change that is needed – for good jobs, affordable health care, retirement security and worker safety."

Click here for the full press release

The R-word

Recession is a scary word.

It's on the front page of most news sources. Say it aloud and most people cringe. But how it affects one person to the next can be very different.

This nation's last two recessions -- the collapse of the dotcom bubble and in 1991 -- are largely outside the memories of most young workers.

But, studies examining job losses during a recession say it is young workers who are the hardest hit. Using data gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and population surveys the Monthly Labor Review found employment among workers 16-19 years old declined by 5.7 percent. In addition to the large decline, employment for this group slumped for two years -- nearly twice as long as it did for older workers.

But relax young union member, don't cringe just quite yet when you hear the 'r-word' whispered.

Economists examing industries performing well during recessions list regional and national supermarket chains, convenience stores and discount stores among the top ten performers.

No job is recession proof, but young workers in service-based industries are less likely to suffer the consequences of their early-90s counterparts.

What Are You Working For?

Is a paycheck what takes you work?

Young workers today face an unknown future, and a job may not be the only detail to think about in our changing lives. Healthcare? Retirement? Higher Education? Where do these things fall on your list of priorities?

It is no longer enough to just be "working for a buck." Check out our new video and comment below - "What are you working for?"