The White House is trying to bolster dwindling labor union enrollment numbers by getting millennials to join.
Union membership is currently at its lowest point since the 1930s, President Obama said at an event on Wednesday called the “White House Summit on Worker Voice.”
Obama claimed as union membership has fallen, inequality has risen.
“I believe that when folks attack unions, they’re attacking the middle class,” the president said. “And so, in today’s economy, we should be making it easier, not harder, for folks to join a union.”
In particular, Obama said he would focus on developing new ways to get millennials to join unions.
“You’ve got a whole millennial generation who knows they’re not getting a good deal in the workplace but don’t consider joining unions,” he said. “And they connect, but they connect in different ways. And we’ve got to adapt to that — try to find new ways of bringing people in.”
Obama said one reason young people aren’t joining unions is because many work for start-ups or tech-based companies that are difficult to organize. He referenced companies like Uber, Lyft, Handy and TaskRabbit that allow people to earn a paycheck with job flexibility and autonomy. He said that while there are positives to these new job opportunities, employers can use these factors to give workers a “take-it-or-leave-it” deal, leaving them with less pay and fewer benefits.
