UP! Reaching out from the labour movement with the Ontario Common Front

Last November, during the last Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) convention, delegates marched in the streets of Toronto calling for a $14 minimum wage. During this rally, while I was walking with a fellow young worker, a reporter approached us. Seeing all the union flags, he asked us what we thought about the lack of young workers or typical minimum wage earners at the protest. Part of me was outraged at the question. I wanted to explain to the journalist that minimum wage is a labour issue whether it affects me directly or not, and that yes, unionized minimum wage workers do exist. Instead, I reflected on my participation within labour. Is it enough for labour to endorse these rallies and send their leadership? How can we progress as a movement if it's just the same old crowd coming out?