Baby boomers, Gen-Xers and millennials may not see eye to eye oneverything, but when it comes to surviving and prospering intoday’s economy, all generations of union members say they want more opportunitiesfor union-sponsored training and apprenticeships.

For decades, these programs have helped prepare union membersfor better, more fulfilling jobs that offer higher wages.

For unions, these efforts to expand training may help stem thetide of declining membership by strengthening member engagement,making it clearer to union members that their membership offerscritical benefits that extend beyond the traditional role ofcollective bargaining.

In September 2016,we sponsored a study, conducted by theEconomist Intelligence Unit (EIU), that aimed to better understandthe dynamics that define the landscape of American union workerstoday, and in the years ahead.

The study surveyed more than 1,500 active U.S. union members whowere 18 and over, and who worked across 15 different industries.Looking through a multigenerational lens, this survey uncovered keyconcerns and aspirations of millennial, Generation X and babyboomer union members from each group’s unique perspectives.

Among its key findings, the survey found that a strong majority(67%) of union members of all generations – millennials, Gen-Xersand baby boomers – “actively seek to develop new skills.”

A further 68% of respondents agreed that unions “should offermore training and opportunities to enhance skills.” And 63% ofunion members wanted “to better adapt to changes in industrystandards and technology.”

Economic challenges drive need

The challenges faced by working Americans are profound and existon multiple fronts, and training is a core element in helpingworkers compete in a fast-changing workplace.

Many union workers face stagnating wages and job insecurity astechnological change and automation disrupt the traditionalworkplace.

The rise of the “gig” economy—comprising short term jobs withlimited benefits—also is contributing to the rising financialinsecurity of working people.

As the economy shifts, so too have the demographics of unionmembership itself. Millennials, who now comprise the largest shareof the labor force, are coming of age in a very different economythan their baby boomer counterparts did in the second half of the20th century.

These younger workers have already begun influencing workplacenorms and attitudes that will inform the labor movement’s futuredirection.

The desire for more union-sponsored training aligns with thesurvey’s finding that millennial union members are far more likelythan baby boomers to see new jobs from a technologically advancedeconomy as an opportunity for unions to gain new members (56% vs45%).

This millennial desire to embrace technology is especiallyrelevant now as millennials have come to represent the largestgeneration of potential union members.

For unions, increasing training would merely expand a role theyhave long embraced.

Already, unions train more than 450,000 workers each year,according to the AFL-CIO. “The labor movement continues today tobe, by far, after the U.S. military, the largest provider of jobtraining in the country,” says Damon Silvers, the policy directorand special counsel for the AFL-CIO.

Expanding such programs represents a key opportunity for unionsto reaffirm their commitments to members’ well-being.

Steve Early, a long-time union organizer, told the EIU that“construction unions have apprenticeship programs that enable tensof thousands of young people and increasingly people of color tolearn skills as carpenters, plumbers, pipe-fitters andelectricians.”

When this work is unionized, he said, these apprentices gainskills and learn safe work practices, thereby decreasing thedangers of construction worksites.

Besides offering new skills and safety benefits, apprenticeshipsprovide younger union members the opportunity to launch careerswithout incurring crushing student debt.

Often a combination of classroom study and on the job training,such apprenticeships help union members gain advanced skills aswell as the ability to perform high-quality work in increasinglyspecialized fields.

For example, the apprenticeship program at the NorthernCalifornia Laborers Training Center, which is affiliated with theLaborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), takes twoand a half years to complete, and it includes coursework thatcovers such areas as math, blueprint reading, environmentalremediation and OSHA regulations—as well as thousands of hours ofsupervised on-site work.

Such programs can be enormously important to the careers ofyounger union members as they secure higher-paying jobs that relyon advanced skills and knowledge.

Similarly, in Chicago, the Chicago Regional Council ofCarpenters’ Training Center, administered by the United Brotherhoodof Carpenters and Joiners of America, provides no-costapprenticeship training to several hundred new tradespeople eachyear, and advanced training to an additional 12,000 journeymenemployed as carpenters, millwrights, pile drivers, lathers andother specialty craftspeople.

Over the course of a four-year apprenticeship, the CRCCestimates, apprentices receive, at no cost to them, an educationvalued at about $17,000 annually.

That’s an appealing selling point to millennials andpost-millennials contemplating the high cost of a collegeeducation, the potentially onerous burden of taking on student loandebt, and the uncertain outlook for employment in their field oncethey’ve graduated from college.

Baby boomers, to be sure, have their own challenges andopportunities where training can be beneficial. Many older unionmembers fear demand may be waning for the skills they have built-upover decades.

They want to improve their position but need additional trainingto help make that happen. With cuts to government-funded workprograms and a reduction in the number of employer-sponsoredtraining opportunities, unions can seize the opportunity to step inand meet the increased training needs of their older members.

This could include outreach to inform older union members abouttraining opportunities, including online learning. Equally valuablewould be additional mid-to-late-career training initiatives, aswell as apprenticeships specifically designed to help older unionmembers balance training and skills with personal and familyresponsibilities.

Finally, unions could offer mid-career counseling, skillsassessment and logistical help for those willing to move to newlocations or switch companies for new jobs or training.

A partnering approach

To expand their training offerings, unions may need to considernew and creative ways to partner with businesses andgovernment.

Programs work best when they include integrated on-the-jobtraining, personal guidance and classroom instruction, and they areoperated by sponsors representing both employees and employers.

By working together to share benefits as well as the costs, suchpartnerships can lead to improved job satisfaction, higherproductivity and a more skilled workforce that can better competein a global economy.

Here, unions can take the lead to ensure that the objectives ofmembers are met and that the skills learned are portable.

Proven models already exist. In the building and constructionindustry, for example, the AFL-CIO reports that thousands of localJoint Apprenticeship and Training Committee groups already overseeapprenticeship and journey-level training for occupations in thegrowing energy conservation and alternative energy fields.

There are also national joint training programs involving unionsand employers in the auto, telecommunications, steel, hospitality,health care and aerospace industries, including 72 in the steel andrubber sector alone.

As far back as 1969, the Service Employees InternationalUnion—specifically 1199SEIU United Healthcare WorkersEast—partnered with the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes inNew York City to create the first and largest multi-employertraining partnership in the health care field.

Still operating, the partnership has since been expanded toinclude multiple programs addressing needs not just in New YorkCity but also across the states of New York, Massachusetts,Maryland and New Jersey, as well as Washington, D.C.

These training and education programs are typically funded bycontributions from employers at a level negotiated between them andunions, sometimes supplemented by public and private grants,tuition and fee-for-service charges.

In one unique example of the programs that have flowered fromthe 1999SEIU initiative, Philadelphia’s District 1199C Training andUpgrading Fund serves not only union members but also unemployedand underemployed individuals in their communities.

An article in the 2014 edition of Perspectives on Work,an annual publication of the Labor and Employment RelationsAssociation, reports that since its founding in 1974 this programhas been a source of new, highly qualified employees and unionmembers, advancing the interests of labor and management alike.

Indeed, employers have just as much to gain fromunion-management training initiatives as their unionpartners—especially at a time when many traditionally unionizedindustries are struggling to replacing aging baby boomers who areretiring from the workforce and taking their lifelong skill setswith them.

Benefits include a pipeline of qualified workers, employees whoare trained in the specific needs of participating employers, and,in many cases, reduced employee turnover.

According to the Department of Labor, for example, 91% ofworkers who complete an apprenticeship program remain employed ninemonths later.

The DOL also notes that businesses may qualify for state-basedtax credits for sponsoring apprenticeship programs.

By partnering with unions and others, including universities andgovernment entities, employers can help assure themselves of areliable workforce for less than it would cost them to train thatworkforce on their own.

Expanding unions’ relevance

Times are changing, and so too are America’s unions.

The main challenge for unions is to respond in ways thatstrengthen membership engagement, attract a new and more diversemembership and strengthen worker advocacy.

Reinvigorating unions’ commitment to training—by providingmembers with more training and new kinds of training—will providenumerous opportunities to expand the relevance of unions.

Demand is strong from union members who want to gain additionalskills to do high-quality work and achieve solid, middle-classincomes—not just in traditional sectors like construction andmanufacturing, but in new industries that require cutting-edgeskills and technological knowledge.

More effort by unions to provide training will go a long way tocement union standing in the eyes of millennials and boomersalike—and make a positive impact on the day-to-day lives ofAmerican workers.

Scott Boyd is head of Taft-Hartley Solutions at PrudentialFinancial.

0305796-00001-00