Why are people under 35 flocking to labor organizations that have been on the decline for decades? Despite a strong economy, there are no guarantees that jobs will pay a living wage or offer health benefits, but union membership can offer workers the protections they need

Salon's Alyona Minkovski spoke to Larry Williams Jr., the president of the Progressive Workers' Union and John Schmidt, the VP of the Economic Policy Institute, about union growth over the past year. Average pay can be 10-20 percent higher for those in unions and the gains won by labor collectives can set industry standards.

Amber Kwazelin, a 19-year-old who works for United Catering Operations, explained why she's trying to convince her employer to allow the workers to unionize. "We'd have a voice, we'd have a chance to change the way we work," Kwazelin said. To hear more, including discussion of a social networking platform built for unions, watch the video above.