Jobs and Student/Labor Solidarity

MINNEAPOLIS - This year's AFL-CIO Next Up Summit, held here Sept. 29 - Oct. 2, had a very different flavor. Unlike the 2010 summit, this conference was lead and organized by young union members from across the country.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The recession is literally a matter of life and death this summer for the youth who are facing record levels of street violence resulting from of unemployment. In this city, there have been funeral services for youth killed by gun violence nearly every two weeks this summer. At the same time, the city's youth summer jobs program was only able to employ half the number of youth as it did last year.

Hundreds of student guest workers from countries worldwide walked out of a Hershey's chocolate company packing plant in Palmyra, Pa., August 17, demanding the company stop exploiting them.

British responses to the rioting spreading throughout England have had a sharp anti-youth tone. The violence was sparked after the police murder of a young black father and an attack on a demonstration protesting the killing.

CHICAGO - A crowd of local union members, advocates for the unemployed and elected officials were on hand outside the Gould Elementary School here Aug. 10, for the unveiling of the first jobs bill which actually aims to hire people.

CHICAGO - Dozens of unemployed activists and supporters rallied here at Federal Plaza August 5 urging Congress to enact a massive federal jobs program and not to cut badly needed social entitlement programs.

At a recent town hall meeting in Marshalltown, Iowa, Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told assembled voters that young people should be required to take a poll test before being allowed to vote.

The right wing's widespread attack on workers has a new target: the nation's youth. Currently the number of youth who are unemployed, especially youth of color, has risen to a level not seen in the last 60 years. It is estimated that only one in four youth who are looking for summer jobs this year will find one.

Students graduating this year face the worst labor market ever encountered by a graduating class.

HAYWARD, Calif. - Students and faculty at California State University in East Bay marched April 13 to the administration building and then occupied the building in protest.

SKOKIE Ill. - More than 300 Niles West High School students walked out of classes March 17 to protest anti-union legislation under consideration in Illinois' neighboring states.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - "Youth apathetic? ... Anyone who wakes up before dawn to drive across the state and rally at the capitol is not apathetic!"

Even in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and 18 other innocent bystanders, the GOP is pushing to allow concealed weapons on college campuses.

MADISON, Wisc. - "We will win! We will win!" That was the chant of an exuberant crowd of over 150,000 from across the state and region that rocked the capitol grounds March 12. It was their answer to a bill ramrodded through the Republican controlled state legislature and signed by Gov. Scott Walker last week stripping public workers of collective bargaining rights.

Almost 25 percent of U.S. children are now living in poverty - the largest number since the Great Depression.

Paul Krugman's recent quip - that the Republican leadership has adopted the slogan "Kill the Future" to counter Obama's "Win the Future" slogan in his State of the Union address - gets truer every day.

A message of solidarity to our public worker union brothers and sisters in Wisconsin and all over America from the Young Communist League, USA and the students of the Red School-Bus Tour Marxism Classes...

As accusations abound we tell you in our own words why we chose to support the One Nation Working Together Rally in DC!

Don't let the insurance companies and their cronies in Congress kill real healthcare reform! Organize on your campus, workplace or community to let Congress know that young people want real healthcare reform and we need a public option!

The Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) has created a toolkit to help youth and students organize for the SLAP Week of Action March 30th-April 4th. Download it and so you can organize on your campus and be sure to sign up for SLAP updates.