Gen Y, Millennial, Next Up & Unionistas!
That's My Generation Baby!
Gen Y's are willing and not afraid to challenge the status quo they are confident and team spirited. They have a pure sense of justice, fairness, and equality and will fight for it!
Note: Grouping people based on their year of birth may be reliable for a large population and the will not fit every person born during the same span of time.
1977 Willmar, Minnesota, Bank Workers' Strike began,
The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act moves oversight and enforcement of mines from the Department of the Interior to the Labor Department. The act mandates annual inspections for mines and requires that all underground mines establish rescue teams.
1978: The Pregnancy Discrimination Act bans employment discrimination against pregnant women.
1979 The film Norma Rae, based on a real life character trying to unionize a textile mill, is released. It wins an Academy Award for best actress.
1980 Joyce Miller joined the AFL-CIO executive board as the first female board member.[
1981 Raymond J. Donovan, picked by President Ronald Reagan to serve as secretary of labor, instrumental in creating the agency’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, and implementing the Migrant and Seasonal Worker Protection Act as well as the Retirement Equity Act.
1981 Sandra Day O’Connor is appointed by President Reagan to the Supreme Court, making her its first woman justice.
The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service is established
Federal air traffic controllers began a nationwide strike after their union rejected the government's final offer for a new contract. Most of the 13,000 striking controllers defied the back-to-work order, and were dismissed by President Reagan on 5 August. Reagan ordered them to leave.
Largest labor rally in United States history broke out in protest of Reagan's order.
1982 The ERA was defeated when only 35 states had passed the measure, three short of the 38 required for ratification.
1983 The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act sets employment standards for farmworkers. The act replaces the Farm Labor Contractor Registration Act.
1984 The Retirement Equity Act is signed into law on Aug. 23, 1984. It amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by addressing women’s rights not included in the original 1974 version of ERISA—including survivorship benefits, vesting and domestic relations orders.
1984 Geraldine Anne Ferraro was the first female Vice Presidential candidate representing a major American political party. She ran with former Vice President and Presidential candidate Walter Mondale.
1986 Female flight attendants won an 18-year lawsuit against United Airlines, which had fired them for getting married. The lawsuit was resolved when a U.S. district court approved the reinstatement of 475 attendants and $37 million back-pay settlement for 1,725 flight attendants. (United Airlines, Inc. v. McDonald, 432 U.S. 385 (1977))
1987 Ann McLaughlin Korologos (b. Nov. 16, 1941) serves as secretary of labor during the final two years of the Reagan administration. She devotes her tenure to addressing work-life balance issues as well as promoting economic growth as a means of improving working conditions.
1987 The US Congress declares March to be National Women’s History Month.
1988 The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, signed on Aug. 4, 1988, protects workers by giving them advance notice of plant closings or mass layoffs.
1990 Elizabeth Hanford Dole She is appointed as the first female secretary of transportation in 1983, and rebuilds the nation's air travel workforce after the 1981 air traffic controller strike. As secretary of labor, she negotiates an increase in the minimum wage and initiates efforts to help minorities break through the glass ceiling.
1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act, a civil rights measure, is passed to prohibit discriminatory practices on the basis of a disability
1991 Lynn Morley Martin, picked by George H.W. Bush to serve as secretary of labor in 1991. During her time at the department, she establishes the Glass Ceiling Commission to assist women and minorities, and initiates a model workplace program to provide leadership guidance for U.S. employers.
The Glass Ceiling Commission is created in 1991 to investigate the "artificial barriers" that prevent qualified women and minorities from moving into more senior positions.
1992 In "The Year of the Woman" a record number of women run for public office,
and win. 24 are newly elected to the House of Representatives and 6 to the Senate.
1992 Carol Moseley‐Braun, of Illinois, becomes the first African‐American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
1997 Madeleine Albright is sworn in as US Secretary of State. She is the first woman in this position as well as the highest‐ranking woman in the United States.
1993 Robert Reich, picked by Bill Clinton to be secretary of labor. Under Reich, the minimum wage is increased, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act passes, the "No Sweat" program begins, and the Family Medical Leave Act is signed into law.
The Family and Medical Leave Act is best known for its provision of parental leave for the birth of a child. It also guarantees that a job will be there upon return, for new foster parents, caretakers of injured or ill relatives, workers with personal health problems, and others.
1994: Congress adopts the Gender Equity in Education Act to train teachers in gender equity, promote math and science learning by girls, counsel pregnant teens, and prevent sexual harassment.
The Violence Against Women Act funds services for victims of rape and domestic violence, allows women to seek civil rights remedies for gender-related crimes, provides training to increase police and court officials’ sensitivity and a national 24-hour hotline for battered women.
As you read more about the characteristics of Gen Y think about and identify what unites us? What divides us? How can we build bridges across the generational divide?
Generational Characteristics Gen Y
• Civic-minded and like to be involved in community
• Celebrate diversity
• Individualistic
• More narcissist than previous generations—not good at taking criticism
• Independent and open-minded; optimistic
• Display confidence and sense of entitlement; have high expectations of self
• Grew up feeling special—coddled and protected by parents and society; have distorted view between self-esteem and reality
• "Been there. Done that." attitude
• Want to know they are making a difference—local and global
• 40% raised in single parent households; are 4–5 times more likely to have experienced divorce
than previous generations
View of Authority
• Grew up with lack of central authority in schools (teachers acted as facilitators)
• Are less likely to follow social rules
• May not have automatic respect for authority—will make suggestions if it will improve situation
• Tend to have irrelevance and distrust of government and politicians, journalists, institutions
• Respect competency
• Are not impressed by position, titles, or authority
• See leadership as a participative process and are upfront with superiors
• Want leaders who are competent and inspire and motivate them
• Choose rules that make sense to them and allow others to follow different rules
Technology
• Grew up surrounded by digital media and are more comfortable, knowledgeable, and literate than
previous generations
• Assimilate new technology whereas previous generations accommodate it
• Customize their digital world as new products come on the market
• Facility with technology has empowered them—are consultants to older adults in using technology
• Have a tendency to think quickly and juggle many tasks at one time
• Are heavy online users and can locate information easily and instantly on Web and through networking
• Have grown up with heavy reliance on technology, which has negatively affected basic spelling and
writing skills
• Use of technology has created demands for instant digital gratification
Relationships
• Lack of face-to-face interaction is due to heavy reliance on communication technologies
• Admire and respect parents and are open to input, but on their own terms
• Tend to be more loyal to peers, coworkers, boss rather than to organization
• Socializing and relationships are what makes work fun and are more important than productivity,
profitability, and achievement
• Like working and learning from colleagues they respect and hope to socialize and form friendships
with them
• Are inclusive and value collective action
• Relationship with immediate manager is a critical factor in whether they stay in job or not
• Form close bonds of loyalty with those who share their differences and honor their uniqueness
Diversity; Change
• Due to surge in immigration, are American’s most racially and ethnically diverse and least-Caucasian generation; are aware and accepting of diversity
• Have easy attitude toward gender differences; readily willing to accept individual differences
• Thrive on innovation and always looking for a better way to get things done
• Move in sync with change—not rocked by unstable events in world
• Appear to be adept at working in larger and more diverse social networks than previous generation
• Want equal attention and treatment
Job/Career; Retirement
• Have a sense of entitlement
• Don’t want to climb the ladder and pay their dues
• Are the best educated generation ever
• Value institutionalized learning, i.e., professional certifications, credentials, degrees
• May explore many career paths before settling down; shifting from one profession to another
• Want meaningful roles and meaningful work that helps others—are struggling to find meaning
and purpose at work
• Want to learn, succeed, and earn money to fuel high level of consumption habits
• Want to succeed immediately and if they don’t see quick rewards will change jobs
• Many see themselves as independent contractors–don’t expect to remain loyal to one company
Work Ethic/Work-Life Balance
• Tend to be loyal to causes and purposes they believe in
• Work is a means to end
• Want to feel they are making difference—not quest for meaning in their work
• Greatly value and desire work-life balance—unwilling to put in long hours at work
• Not motivated by feelings of duty—working hard is not virtuous in itself—but it is worth it if they are singled out and recognized
• Look for organizations whose mission and values focus on more than profits
• Tend to have exceptionally high expectations of themselves and set unrealistic targets and goals
• Have unrealistic expectations about what it means to work—many are unwilling to work hard and
make sacrifices to get ahead as previous generation
• Combine working, learning, and playing at work
Motivation; Rewards and Recognition
• Salary is important to keep up with high cost of living
• Will insist on being able to do their work at the most convenient times and places
• Want to succeed immediately—do not see quick rewards at one firm, they will move somewhere else
• Appreciate flexible schedules and time for personal life
• Value opportunities for continuing professional growth and career advancement
• Like public acknowledgment, frequent recognition, and rewards at shorter intervals
• Want to have fun while doing helpful, meaningful work
Gen Y Believes In Putting The "U" In Union & Uniting Together Makes Our Unions Strong!
SOURCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_labor_issues_and_events
http://www.dol.gov/100/timeline/#9
http://www.kenblanchard.com/img/pub/Blanchard_Next_Generation_of_Workers.pdf
~MORE~
Youth and Unions
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1103&context=workingpapers
We Are The Ones!
http://youtu.be/TN-fanNW5cE
Dana Wilson Speaking at the 2011 AFL-CIO Next Up Young Workers
http://youtu.be/kQvTEr4JwK0
