Diverse, Younger Workers Are A Union’s Hope For Its Future

In every generation, the newest entrants to the workforce are the most vulnerable to the idealism of unionization.

Young workers often see unions as a democratic ideal as opposed to the business that modern unions have become.

A recent Gallup poll reflects this view; it found that 65% of workers under the age of 35 had favorable opinions of unions. An academic study showed that 32.6% of workers had neutral or no opinions about unions.

Both show that these new workforce entrants either have a positive or neutral opinion about unions.

As a result of this changing attitude, we have seen unions successfully attract younger employees.

In essence, unions are appealing to younger workers who have little knowledge of what unions actually do and are communicating to young workers who are more receptive to the unions’ message. Younger employees are unions’ hope for their future. 

As baby boomers age out of the workforce, we will continue to see increased percentages of younger employees within the overall workforce.

With this transition, employers must create new strategies to communicate their messages and educate their employees about why a union is not in their employees’ best interest. 

In addition to the workforce becoming younger, we are also seeing a transition to a workforce that is much more ethnically and racially diverse.

An Apollo Group/National Journal poll shows that 73% of African Americans regard unions either “very favorably” or “mostly favorably,” followed by 54% of Latinos and 47 % of whites.

This diverse demographic also has a much more favorable predisposition towards unions.

Younger workers are absorbed by/in their electronic devices and social media.

Educating our younger, ethnically and racially diverse workforce is key to overcoming the challenges that unions present.

To do that, you must communicate with them, utilizing communication mediums and methods that these employees are already engaged with.

This enables employers to reach their younger and more diverse group of workers more effectively. 

Our labor management consulting firm, Diverse Workforce Consultants, is at the forefront in developing content and strategies that enables employers to educate their employees about the realities of unions.

We specialize in using the mediums that today’s diverse, younger, and impressionable workforce have already adopted to educate them on the realities of unions.

Our clients have benefited greatly from our strategies both in short term organizing campaigns and long term inoculation projects against unions.

To learn more about what Diverse Workforce Consultants (DWC) has to offer, browse our website or set up an appointment to speak with us.