Young Workers, "Next Up" To Lead Labor Movement, Support Local Hotel Workers

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

More than 200 young workers from across the country braved sweltering DC heat and rush hour crowds last Friday to demonstrate their solidarity with local hotel workers. As part of the AFL-CIO's first-ever "Next Up" Young Worker Summit, participants organized an action in solidarity with the efforts of DC-area UNITE HERE members at several hotels recently bought by the Columbia-Sussex company to maintain good wages and benefits. Bearing hand-made signs and bullhorns, summit participants, joined by AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Schuler, marched down Connecticut Ave and rallied in front of the Westin City Center, a non-union hotel where Columbia-Sussex slashed pay and benefits after taking over. "This is the birth of change and you are the change makers," said Shuler, who convened the summit, which provided young workers with a chance to share their concerns, skills and visions about their role in the union movement and the movement's future with AFL-CIO leaders. The 3-day summit, which ran through the weekend, included "excellent workshops and panel discussions on topics such as issues of the new generation and young workers and the state of the American economy," reports Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO Assistant Political Coordinator Alya Solomon. - Mackenzie Baris; photos by Steve McFarland. Click here for more photos. Click here for further coverage on the AFL-CIO's blog.