USW NextGen Director talks about engaging the younger generation

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Charleeka Thompson

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Charleeka Thompson, Director of the Next Generation Program (NextGen) for the United Steelworkers, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss how the USW is working to engage a younger generation of union members. She also talked about the renewed vigor behind the program’s outreach efforts and where she envisions the program in the future.

Thompson was appointed the Director of the NextGen program in April. The program is a place to introduce younger members to the history of the union, how to get active in their community and how to grow and develop a career with the union. Thompson discussed the origin of the NextGen program and how it has grown over the years. The first NextGen Conference in 2019 had 900 attendees, and in 2024 the second convention had over 1,200 members, she said.

Education is the heart of the NextGen program, and with that comes ensuring younger members can find various educational opportunities in the USW. Thompson discussed the tools available at the Local and International levels. Among the educational efforts is building a sense of community through collaboration with members in the same Local or between members in different countries, Thompson explained.

Through NextGen, Thompson said she’s seen members go from a new and enthusiastic member to an experienced leader in the union. It’s been a wonderful experience, and she hopes to continue developing younger members as the future leaders of the USW.

Listen to Thompson in the episode above for more information about the USW NextGen Program.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

USW NextGen Director talks about engaging the younger generation

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