(BUFFALO) - The recently-held New York State AFL-CIO Young Unionists Conference in Albany was a "tremendous success," according to two Buffalo-area Union representatives who attended the Albany event and hit the ground running by coordinating a social network on the Internet facebook site to further expand the scope of those looking to get involved.

The so-dubbed Young Unionists group is reaching out to the under-40 Union crowd with the hope of attracting, involving and empowering them in their local Labor Movement, as well as increasing their numbers over the course of time. Hosted by the state AFL-CIO, its aim was to have those attending share their experiences and come up with real solutions to obstacles they must overcome as individuals and as a movement. Several workshops were scheduled, including a number of small group discussions, ranging from What are the obstacles to more young Unionists getting involved? to What can we do to get more young Unionists involved?

New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes opened the conference by addressing the attendees and took the time to go table-to-table to individually talk to the young Unionists. In addition, state AFL-CIO Secretary/Treasurer Terrence Melvin was in attendance for the entire conference, which local Unionists said was a tremendous show of commitment from the New York State AFL-CIO on the importance of the conference.

Courtney Brunelle, a 28-year-old political action coordinator with CSEA (Civil Service Employees Association) Western Region 6, and Michelle Pancoe, a 30-year-old NYSUT (New York State United Teachers) member and Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation Executive Board member, are leading the Young Unionists charge here in Western New York. The two attended the three-day conference held earlier this month and shared their opinions with WNYLaborToday.com on where the Young Unionists effort needs to go now and in the future.

"It was awesome," NYSUT's Pancoe said. "It was better than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and participation. It was good to see how many young people are out there that want to involved themselves in Organized Labor."

Added CSEA's Brunelle: "There was a wide variety of Union participation from both the private and public sectors, and honestly, there was a high level of energy. We were all very excited to meet each other, hear new ideas and get down to work."

Brunelle and Pancoe, along with those who attended - which ranged from Electrical Workers from New York City to a group of recently-organized workers represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) - quickly created a page on the facebook network to make sure that all stayed connected after the conference.

"We're going to try to network our group statewide and I now have one-hundred-and-nine new friends of facebook," Brunelle said. "We realized that after the conference, when we returned home, that we would work to make further connections (with the under-40 crowd) in our individual Labor Councils. It was surprising. Some who attended didn't know the Labor Councils even existed. Some just didn't know how to plug in. Now they do. We all encouraged each other to stay connected on-line. In fact, we talked about using text messaging as another way to quickly communicate and get our message out."

Added Pancoe: "We plan on setting up regional Young Unionist groups and this way we can all post information that will help each other. We all have such high expectations and we all shared our vision of where we - as Young Unionists - where we will be and the obstacles we will overcome."

The local Young Unionists' group will also be deciding upon a formal name, said Brunelle and Pancoe - who teaches fourth grade at Dodge Elementary in Amherst. In Rochester, their group is called The Next Generation. CSEA already has its own group, which has been named The Next Wave.

It didn't take long for those in attendance at the Albany conference to get the ball rolling, said Brunelle, explaining much was immediately accomplished during an ice-breaker dinner held on the first night. "We had open and honest discussions at each table that everyone got so much out of. It was personally engaging and we decided to get things moving across the state."

Even before those conference attendees got down to work on the first day of conference workshops, all were asked to write a letter to themselves that would be given back to them in six months time. In their letter, each was asked to detail their expectations of what they hoped to accomplish after returning home, Pancoe said.

"During the conference, one Union member from the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) talked about how he was so indebted to the Labor Movement. He grew up in a Union household and the Union jobs his family worked helped put food on their table and paid their bills. It was inspiring to listen to," Pancoe added.

Brunelle also underscored the point that, "We're not encouraging them to upset the apple cart and not to use this as an opportunity to run against their Union's presidents." "Some feel they're fighting within their own Union for a voice. Some are nervous about getting more involved, but we tell them, remember, there's room for everyone," she said.

Even though the next New York Young Unionists' statewide conference won't take place for another two years from now, work has already begun for Brunelle and Pancoe, who vow to hit the ground running in Western New York and apply here what they learned at the Albany conference.

"We're hoping to get some meetings going here with more young people in the not too distant future. We're just working out the logistics," Pancoe said.

(Editor's Note: For more information on the New York Young Unionists group here in Western New York and how you can get involved here in Western New York, contact either Courtney Brunelle via e-mail atcourtneybrunelle@hotmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Michelle Pancoe at mpancoe@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )