Charleeka Thompson, director of the United Steelworkers NextGen Department, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss how the USW is bringing new, young members into the union and preparing them to become future leaders.
Thompson traced her path from a hazardous waste disposal plant in El Dorado, Ark., to the union's Rapid Response Department in Pittsburgh and then to NextGen, a program that became a required committee for every Local in 2025. She described creative ways USW Locals are reaching younger members, the role seasoned activists play as mentors and how NextGen works with Rapid Response to turn political awareness into action.
Thompson also explained why she believes young workers in the South are ready for unions and why she is bringing the 2027 NextGen conference to her home state.
Charleeka Thompson, director of the United Steelworkers (USW) NextGen Department, was raised in El Dorado, a town in South Arkansas. Her path to the union began at a hazardous waste disposal company there. The USW represented the workers, and she became part of the union family, Local 13-434, she said.
Thompson described the work at the El Dorado plant in detail. The site incinerates both hazardous and non-hazardous waste, ranging from expired mascara to materials that require workers to wear full oxygen-supplied respiratory protection. Because it is a union-represented site, safety and health come first, she said. The workers there know which chemicals can be stored together and which can be incinerated at the same time, and they take pride in handling waste properly so it is not left in the ground and does not harm the environment.
She grew active in her Local and then in USW District 13, which covers Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Thompson said she was eventually asked to move to Pittsburgh and join the Rapid Response Department, the union's legislation and policy department. Later, then-President Dave McCall asked whether she would be interested in leading NextGen. Thompson said she was so surprised and excited that she was glad she was sitting down. She has now held the job for nearly three years.
NextGen is the department Thompson leads to help new and young members connect with the union. The idea is for members to fall in love with the USW by getting education, finding a voice, learning and building a network with one another, she said.
The USW created NextGen in 2012 as a committee within certain Locals. Thompson said it was optional at first. In 2025, it became a mandated committee, meaning every Local is now required to have one. She was asked to become the director before the mandate took effect. The change added a great deal of responsibility to the job, she said. Her focus has been on ensuring members feel seen and heard and providing programs and materials that keep them engaged. The department has created new resources, including flyers and posters.
Thompson explained how she believes a young worker should be introduced to the program. At a facility with a new hire orientation where the union can speak alongside the company, NextGen flyers explain what the committee is, and committee members can talk with new hires on the spot. Where there is no orientation, she said, committee members are encouraged to introduce themselves directly, using the list of new workers the union should receive for each facility.
Thompson said the reaction from USW Local Unions was mixed when the program started. Younger members were excited, and so were some longtime members. Others wondered what the program meant for them and whether it signaled that experienced members were no longer needed. Thompson said that hesitation is normal and human, but she made it clear that NextGen is not meant to replace anyone.
In her view, the program depends on seasoned activists. The union needs their mentorship and the wisdom they have gained on the job and in their Local roles, Thompson said, so it is always building its bench. A team with star players and no prepared substitutes is in trouble when someone has to step in, she said. The aim is to keep the bridge between generations strong so younger members are ready to take charge when the time comes.
She also pushed back on the idea that leadership means only winning an election. Thompson said being active looks different for everyone. A steward, an elected president, and an active member each play a role, she said, and a successful Local needs each of them.
To reach younger members, Thompson said, the union has to meet them where they are, and that may not look like a traditional Local meeting. She pointed to a Local in Canada that built a Dungeons and Dragons theme into an event on collective bargaining. Members learned the steps of bargaining and the details of their contract just before negotiations began. Other Locals have gathered members at a bar or restaurant hangout, she said, where the conversation can go anywhere but still turns to the union and local issues.
Thompson said volunteerism works the same way. Locals should ask members what they are already doing in their communities, then show up and volunteer alongside them. When members see the union show up for them, she said, they are more likely to show up in return. The union is also investing more in social media, including TikTok campaigns built around short clips. Thompson said the goal is to reach members where they already pay attention, show them that the content comes from their union, and then bring them into conversations about issues that matter to them.
NextGen coordinates with the Rapid Response Department to help younger members engage in politics and policy, Thompson said. The union does not focus on party labels for officials already in office, she said. Those officials answer to constituents, and workers need to speak up. If workers are not calling, Thompson said, officials will hear from someone else.
Thompson said the union ties its core values to legislation: collective bargaining, workplace safety, healthcare, job security, fair trade and retirement. Members who want those things have to elect people who support workers’ rights, she said, and once those officials are in office, they have to keep contacting them. The union needs elected officials who work for working people, not for corporations, she said. When the union issues an action call and members, families and communities make phone calls or send emails, the impact can be significant, she said, whether the goal is to win support for a bill that helps workers or to stop one that would hurt them.
In a year with heavy political advertising, Thompson said younger members respond differently. Some are deeply engaged. Political casuals among NextGen members are out knocking on doors because this is their time to shine, she said. Others are turned off by the volume. Some fall in the middle and simply ignore the noise while staying focused on what they came to do. Her advice is to know yourself and your audience, hold on to your core values and do your research. If a member is tired of the ads, she said, the election will be over soon, and the most important thing is to vote.
Thompson said younger workers in the South are more accepting of unions because they see the benefit. The obstacle is access, she said. Workers have to be organized, and a first contract has to be won. Young people want to work at union facilities because the pay is higher and the healthcare is better, she said, and job security makes it possible to become a homeowner at a time when rent and mortgage costs are high. The union has to organize, she stressed.
That is part of why Thompson chose to take the next NextGen conference to her home state. The conference will be held May 3-7, 2027, in Little Rock, Ark. It will be her first international NextGen conference as director, and she is both excited and nervous. Thompson is originally from District 13 and wanted to bring the event home. She hopes it serves as a strong kickoff to more union representation in the South.
More information on the United Steelworkers is available at usw.org.
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