Although that varies by locale, a rich topic of discussion for many teens is working in a fast-food joint. From left, standing, Greater Charleston Labor Council President Tommy Crenshaw, South Carolina AFL-CIO President Donna DeWitt and Marvin Walker, president of Carpenters Local 2221, join Project Star students. With a little more time and a few more resources, union activists can give students a firsthand look at union jobs. When Jon Pusloskie, a telecommunications specialist and member of Communications Workers of America Local 1170, went to a job fair at a Rochester inner-city middle school working with the Rochester and Vicinity Labor Council, he told students about installing and maintaining telephone services, including Internet access. Letter Carriers Valerie Gleaton, left, and Jennifer Benjamin say unions should reach out to students as young as kindergartners.
Some activists feel reaching younger students is just as important.
Crenshaw has talked with local college students as a part of the labor council's outreach efforts, but first met middle and high school students two years ago under Project Star. Even kindergartners feel job pressure today, says Letter Carrier Gleaton, who visits grade schools with her fellow Letter Carrier-activist Jennifer Benjamin and hands out coloring books that depict occupations. Gleaton thinks that starting with the young ones and then keeping the contact through the years may be the best investment of her energy. In the sandbox, kids today know the brand names of different computers. We're the ones who are lagging behind.