Every few months, someone declares that young workers are disengaged.
They say younger generations do not want to participate in civic life. They are not interested in unions. They do not want to commit to organizations. They are too focused on social media, too individualistic, or too impatient.
But the facts tell a different story.
Across the country, young workers have been at the center of some of the most significant organizing campaigns of the past decade. They are organizing Starbucks stores, Amazon warehouses, nonprofit workplaces, universities, digital media companies, museums, and logistics facilities. They are running for union office, leading campaigns, and building new forms of worker organization.
The problem is not that young workers have stopped believing in collective action.
The problem is that many of our institutions were built for a different economy.
Previous generations entered workplaces where long-term employment was more common, housing was more affordable, college debt was lower, and career paths were often more predictable. While those systems were never equitable or accessible to everyone, they provided a degree of stability that shaped how people engaged with unions, workplaces, and community institutions.
Many young workers today face a very different reality.
They are navigating rising housing costs, student debt, contingent employment, algorithmic management, unpredictable schedules, and an economy increasingly shaped by technological change. They are coming of age during a period of political polarization, democratic instability, and growing concern about climate change. For many, uncertainty is not an occasional disruption. It is a defining feature of working life.
Yet despite these challenges, young workers continue to organize.
In fact, many of the innovations emerging in the labor movement are coming directly from their experiences. Young workers are experimenting with new organizing models, new communications strategies, and new approaches to leadership. They are asking important questions about inclusion, democracy, mental health, technology, and the future of work. They are challenging organizations to adapt to changing conditions while holding onto the values that make collective action possible.
That is not disengagement.
That is leadership.
At the Center for Labor and Community Studies, we believe leadership is not something people either have or do not have. Leadership is developed through education, relationships, practice, and opportunity.
Too often, labor institutions wait for leaders to emerge on their own. We identify a handful of people who stand out and hope they carry the work forward.
But if we want a stronger labor movement, we need a different approach.
We need intentional pathways that help workers develop the skills, confidence, analysis, and relationships needed to lead. We need spaces where workers can learn from one another, build community across unions and industries, and connect their experiences to larger economic and political realities. Most importantly, we need institutions that invest in leadership before a crisis arrives.
That is why programs like our Young Workers Conference matter.
The conference is not simply a place to attend workshops. It is a place where emerging leaders can build relationships, strengthen their understanding of how power works, develop practical skills, and imagine what leadership might look like in their workplaces, unions, and communities.
This year's theme, Empower & Lead: Now, Tomorrow, & Beyond, reflects that commitment.
The future of the labor movement will not be determined by whether young workers are willing to lead. They already are.
The real question is whether our institutions are willing to create the conditions that allow that leadership to grow.
At CLCS, we believe the answer must be yes.
The future of worker power depends on it.
