Catherwood LibraryILR School

A Pew Research Center study in September found that more millennials live in poverty than households led by previous generations; these same millennials are the ones more likely to support unions (55 percent of 18 to 29 years olds). Millennials who are enthusiastic about their work for and within unions are concerned about union power declining, as while two previous court cases have failed to eliminate “fair share fees”, the current case in front of the Supreme Court, Janus v. AFSCME, is expected to cast a vote in favor of Janus and against public-sector unions. Larry Williams, Jr., the 30-year-old president of the Progressive Workers Union, felt that many millennials didn’t know that labor unions exist, and, hoping to correct that, founded UnionBase – “the first social networking platform for unions” in 2015, with the website launched on Labor Day this year. UnionBase allows workers to search for unions that represent their profession; union leaders can also use it to verify their organizations’ information, eventually, communicate with verified members. Williams’ long-term vision is that the platform will help unions move beyond the “service” model, where employees pay dues for unions to negotiate with employers on their behalf, to an organizing model, where workers mobilize to defend their own interests.