CWA Next Generation Activists Meet in Detroit

CWA activists gathered in Detroit this week for the CWA Next Generation Summit. CWA Next Generation engages members ages 35 and under in key issues including organizing and bargaining rights, voting rights, campaign finance reform, income and racial inequality, fair trade, immigration reform, and LGBTQ rights.

CWA President Chris Shelton addressed the group on Wednesday, highlighting the need for embracing diversity and equality within organized labor.

"You are the future of our Labor Movement and of our fight for economic justice for working families. It inspires me to be meeting with you," Shelton said. "Diversity and equality are not about so-called political correctness. And they are not luxuries. They're as important and non-negotiable as a decent standard of living, a union job, and the ability for our children to do better than we did."

CWA president Chris Shelton spoke at the NextGen Conference.

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CWA Secretary-Treasurer Sara Steffens and CWA District 4 Vice President Linda Hinton also spoke at the event.

CWA Secretary Treasurer Sara Steffens (left) and CWA District 4 Vice President Linda Hinton (right) fired up the NextGen conference crowd.

On Wednesday morning, 200 CWA activists marched to City Hall with Michigan United members to urge the Detroit City Council to expand its 'Ban the Box' ordinance to private-sector employers. The 'Fair Chances for All' campaign seeks to postpone questions about criminal records early in the hiring process.

CWA activists rallied in Detroit to expand "Ban the Box" protections to private-sector employers.

"It will make us better. It will make us a more cohesive community," said Kelli N. Williams, a CWA activist and state president of the Michigan Coalition of Labor Union Women. "Mass incarceration, the school to prison pipeline, and juvenile delinquency are just a few of the issues plaguing our society. After the punishment, there should not be a period of more punishment. There should be a time when businesses are reaching out and lending a hand to help former prisoners become productive members of society."

Learn more about CWA Next Generation here.