(CHEEKTOWAGA) - The national movement by Organized Labor to increase the involvement of its younger members in their individual Unions has Painters District Council 4 moving forward on implementing an effort it calls The Young Lions - which is already pinpointing and grooming its Labor Leaders of Tomorrow, Painters District Council 4 Business Manager Dan Boody tells WNYLaborToday.com.

At the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades' General President's Action Committee Meeting that was held in August in Miami, Florida, Painters General President James Williams unveiled a concept that was eventually adopted through a resolution called The Young Lions Club.  In essence, the resolution stated: "That each of the Painters Union District Councils across the country develop such an effort and that The Young Lions Club be made up of the youngest generation of our Union's Members to train, educate and develop as future leaders for the prosperity of our organization."

Wasting no time, Boody returned to Western New York and immediately began the process of "looking at our young people in our Union and the ages of our present officers." 

He took quick action, deciding himself to step down as vice president of Buffalo-headquartered Painters Local 43 - which represents 300 painters and drywall finishers, which he had dually held.  In his place, 31-year-old Wesley Schlossin of Cheektowaga was appointed vice president and subsequently elected by the Local 43's membership.  "We've been watching him over the past year," Boody said.  "He was coming to meetings, was very interested in the opportunity and when we approached him, his eyes lit up and he said 'yes.'" 

In addition, another member in his early 30s, Larry Hardy, who was described by Boody "as another waiting in the wings," was recently appointed as a Local 43 Trustee.

Boody, whose Buffalo-headquartered District Council's jurisdiction stretches across more than half of the state of New York - from Western New York, down to Binghamton and back up into Watertown - and represents around 2,200 active and retired members, explained that The Young Lions "is a program that's been developed to reach out to those younger members through a step-by-step process that we are looking at Council-wide."

"Within Painters District Councils across the country, Union officers are beginning to retire.  So the question was, what are we doing (as a Union) to get our younger members more involved and get them interested in running for Union office?  The thought process is that we would begin looking at people at the local Union level in terms of getting them involved.  Now it's up to the individual leaders within those Painters District Councils to take action," he said.

Local 43 Vice President Schlossin, a six-year member of the Painters Union, tells WNYLaborToday.com he grew up in a "blue-collar family that counted twelve as Union Members."  "I realize this is a great opportunity and I didn't do it for myself, I did it for the membership.  I felt I could be an asset because we need young leaders.  I felt I had to step up because I had something to offer," he said.

Schlossin's decision to get more involved in his Union is also impacting his fellow Union Members at the Painters.  "It seems to be contagious," he said.  "When someone you know steps up, others who wouldn't necessarily do the same start.  It's also a good time (for younger Union Members) to seize the opportunity.  There's a new (feeling) in this country with Organized Labor.  We know where we've been and we know where we don't want to go."

Schlossin recently attended a Painters Convention in Las Vegas and said he was humbled by what he heard from "older" Union Members.  "It was a different side of being in the Union - how these guys had dedicated their lives to their Union.  I wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn that from them if I had not decided to get involved.  I'm looking forward to learning on the coat-tails of Dan Boody and Mark Stevens (Painters District Council 4 Regional Business Representative).  Like I said, it's a great opportunity," he said.

Painters District Council 4 is currently in the midst of creating its Young Lions Club Committee, which will take full advantage of the Union's upgraded and improved web site to further communicate its message - especially to its young members.  In addition, Boody plans to produce Young Lions Club t-shirts for those who participate in the effort to further brand the message and help to spread it across the entire region served by District 4 in New York State.

On another front, the Painters Union is also conducting a survey with its member contractors and their Union-represented workforces.  "We also need to get a better handle on the ages of those workers, many of whom can retire as early as age 56 once they gain pension eligibility by working a total of 60,000 hours.  When they reach that level, they can take their pension without any penalty.  So we're asking, again, who's going to their place?  It's our responsibility to have highly-trained qualified journeymen ready to replace those who retire.  We have to be pro-active," Boody said.