Labor Profile: Union Summer Intern Ryan Carty

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

North Carolina native Ryan Carty “didn’t really know much about the labor movement,” but says he’s already gained “excellent hands-on experience” since being hired as part of the AFL-CIO’s Union Summer internship program at the Metro Washington Council. “In North Carolina there aren’t many unions, so I had no opinion on them,” says Carty. “However, I’m very enthusiastic about the opportunity to learn how everything works in the union from the ground up.” Ryan, 18, worked as a bus boy, receptionist, tutor, and  soccer referee.  More than 30 Union Summer interns – including seven who have been assigned to the Metro Washington Council – began working Monday at labor councils across America, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles to learn about mobilizing workers and how to play a role in restoring jobs lost during the economic collapse. “The 10-week program gives young activists on-the-ground education in organizing, community activism and coalition building,” says the AFL-CIO. Carty studies science technology and society at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia where he begins his sophomore year this fall. - report/photo by Jasmine Butler, AFL-CIO Union Summer intern