The changing face of labour: 
UFCW youth activist eyes up labour’s future

Calgary – I am proud and honoured to be a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, whose vision and drive has helped to further the labour movement throughout its history.

Today, this same vision and drive has brought about a new way of thinking and a new vision that will help to move the labour movement into the future. With the guidance and leadership of the honourable sisters and brothers of UFCW, programs have been developed to modify, adapt and change this institution, to reconnect with young working men and women.

Programs such as the National Youth Internship that was established to bring young people together and to explore new ideas and new possibilities has been a great success. The knowledge and experience gained from this program has enabled the United Food and Commercial Workers to establish a National Youth Committee that has continued to bring young members together to explore new ways of thinking and move the union and the labour movement forward into the future.

The National Youth Committee has done its greatest good at the local level of our union. At the local level, youth workers have done extraordinary things. They have established youth committees, organized youth caucuses, developed youth training programs, established a youth taskforce and organized youth conventions. We have been able to start to reconnect with young members.

The support and guidance that youth activists within UFCW have received from local presidents, executive boards, and staff has been outstanding. It is this level of commitment and cooperation that enables us to move forward into the future – united with one goal and one voice, that includes all working people.

I now ask all unions and labour organizations to move forward and reach out to their young members who may not have been able to see the benefits of belonging to a union. I urge you not to remain idle – the future of your union and this movement is depending on you.

Chris O’Halloran is a graduate of the UFCW National Youth Internship program, and has established a youth committee at his local. He was recently chosen as the first Youth Representative to sit on the AFL Executive Council.