Solidarity Sunday: Are We Speaking to Everyone Here?
We've got the work. Data centers. Hospitals. Battery plants. Schools. Infrastructure projects that will shape our country for decades.
But the question isn't "Is there work?"
The question is "Who's going to do it?"
So maybe it's time to ask a harder question: Are we really reaching everyone who's already here?
Latino U.S. citizens make up one of the largest and fastest-growing groups in construction. These are men and women born and raised here, serving in our military, raising families, paying taxes, and often already working in or around the trades.
Why aren't more of them fully part of our movement? Why don't we see more of them in our apprenticeship classes, union halls, and leadership ranks?
There is much discussion about our limitations (proper documentation, lack of Spanish-language curriculum in our apprenticeship schools, lack of Spanish-speaking organizers, etc.) but those locals who are spending money on recruiting campaigns are having success. That much we know.
Maybe it's time to look closer, not across borders, but across our own neighborhoods.
Are we speaking to the need for stability?
Lately, there's been a cloud hanging over many of these communities. The constant news about deportations, raids, and immigration crackdowns, even when it doesn't directly touch them, still creates unease. It shakes neighborhoods, job sites, and families.
It also creates an opportunity for Organized Labor. It's not about politics. It's about stability. And that is something we can provide.
It's where a union can make the greatest difference, by offering something solid to stand on. A registered apprenticeship. A career with rights and respect. A sense of belonging that no one can take away.
When they carry a union card, they're not just part of a workforce; they're part of something recognized, respected, and enduring, a path that leads somewhere real.
Are we telling that story?
- Do our apprenticeship programs include materials and mentors who reflect the cultural diversity of the workforce?
- Do our organizers and instructors know how to connect with second and third-generation Latino Americans who grew up speaking English, but who still value family, respect, and pride in hard work?
- Can they see themselves in the stories we are telling? Are we telling the union story in a way that resonates with their story, about opportunity, security, legacy, and belonging?
Solidarity isn't about "bringing people in", it's about making sure everyone who's already here feels they belong.
What Can We Do Better?
What if we highlighted Latino union members as ambassadors, mentors, and heroes in our stories, as visible proof that the trades offer dignity, stability, and growth?
What if our outreach focused less on transactions and more on relationships, showing that union membership isn't just a job, it's a community that has your back?
What if we stopped trying to "sell" the union, and instead invited people home to it?
These workers aren't outsiders. They're our neighbors, our kids' classmates, our fellow citizens, and they deserve a clear, open path to the middle class.
The trades were built by Americans of every background…Irish, Italian, Polish, African-American, and Latino. Each wave made us stronger.
Now we have another opportunity to grow by recognizing and uplifting the Latino citizens who are already shaping the nation's workforce.
The question isn't "Can we reach them?"
It's "Will we reach out to them?"
The future of the trades, the ability to fill calls, and the strength of our unions, depends on how welcoming we are to those who will build America next.
Hablando de español...
Creating Spanish language videos with stories from your Latino members speaks to the respect and inclusion that we show as a local union and helps in organizing and recruiting. It doesn't mean you have to change your strategy, it just means allocating part of your resources to deploy that strategy in communities with whom you might not be currently communicating. We are currently running this video which is generating leads in Atlanta and North Georgia, and upwards of 40% of new members taking the oath in the last couple of years in this local are Latino. Let us help you tell that part of your story in your jurisdiction and invite more people into the tapestry of your brotherhood and sisterhood.
