SALT LAKE CITY – Four out of 10 young people ages 16 to 24 in Utah don't have jobs, and many aren't going to school either. They're part of a group of six million nationwide in a new Kids Count report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It says this loss of momentum can have lifelong consequences.

In Utah, the "disconnect" is complicated further when young people also are parents. Terry Haven, deputy director of Voices for Utah Children, says reversing the trend requires a two-generation approach to help young Utahns get work – and keep it.

"If they don't have a GED, if they don't have their high school diploma, making sure we get them that – and then, helping them find that pathway to success, to get to the job that they want to get. And at the same time, taking care of that child, so that we break that cycle of poverty by making sure that child is getting access to quality preschool."

Closing the gap will require more cooperation between businesses, educators and lawmakers, as well as money, says Haven. The report says part of the youth disconnect is a lack of jobs in some areas, but also that students are finishing high school without the skills needed for the high-tech positions that are available – and in Utah, nearly one in four doesn't graduate.

The Bennion Community Service Center at the University of Utah is seeing the trend firsthand. Lacey Holmes, the center’s public relations coordinator, says its focus is to get young people into internships and volunteer positions to build their leadership skills along with their résumés.

"In this day and age with a college degree, it's not the ticket for a job like it used to be. Students are really needing experiences that show that they can apply what they've done and what they've learned. And those service learning opportunities really, really give them a great starting point."

Holmes says young people often say they can't afford to work without pay, even to gain solid experience, and some positions offer a stipend or scholarship money. She adds there's always a need for more companies to come forward with entry-level positions that can be matched with willing students.

For recent college graduate Christiana Brown, the message to fellow 20-somethings is don't give up hope. She says it took her eight months to land a job, and that her unpaid internship experience was key.

"It's a stepping stone so it's not, you know, my dream job or my career. You do have to, I think, make those sacrifices financially. Don't expect to come right out of college, or high school or whatever, and get that big-paying job."





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A case before the U.S. Supreme Court could have implications for the country's growing labor movement. Justices will hear oral arguments in Starbucks versus McKinney today to determine if the bar should be raised for the National Labor Relations Board when it seeks to impose court-ordered injunctions on companies.

David Groves, communications director with the Washington State Labor Council, said the Supreme Court could further undermine the power of the NLRB, the independent federal agency that protects employees' rights.

"We already have weak labor laws in this country that have such minor penalties for breaking union organizing laws that companies routinely do it, and this is another opportunity for them to weaken labor laws even further," he argued.

The case involves Starbucks' firing of seven employees in Memphis during their union campaign in 2021. The coffee company says it rehired the workers and denies wrongdoing. If the justices rule in favor of Starbucks, it could make it harder for the NLRB to seek court orders.

Groves said the law states that workers have a right to organize unions in their workplace without coercion or retaliation from their employers.

"That's all fine and good but if the penalty's not significant enough, then they'll just go ahead and break that law and consider it the cost of doing business if they have to pay a fine two years down the road," he explained.

Groves said his and other labor organizations support the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize or PRO Act in Congress, which would strengthen labor laws, including providing greater authority to the NLRB.


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The U.S. House has approved a measure to expand the Child Tax Credit. It would help 16 million children from low-income families in Indiana and nationwide. Despite bipartisan support, the bill is stalled in the Senate. Advocates praise the credit's pivotal role in combating child poverty, pointing to its effectiveness in the past, and especially during the pandemic, when it was broadly expanded.

Candace Baker, an Indianapolis mother of 4, said the previous tax-credit expansion worked for her family, and she wants it reinstated.

"Having a child, and I had to get on some government-assistance programs. My grandmother never did because she just didn't want that stigma over her, but I utilized those services when I had a child. I didn't want to either, but I'm like, I need this support," she explained.

Congress approved expanding the Child Tax Credit in 2021. However, the expansion has expired, leaving families without vital assistance. As the Senate deliberates, pressure mounts on lawmakers to prioritize the needs of struggling families and secure passage. Opponents believe taxpayers who don't work should not be eligible. Some Republicans also contend the provision may incentivize parents to leave the workforce.

Families reeling from the pandemic received between $300 and $360 per month per child from the expanded tax credit. It lifted 3.7 million children from poverty. Baker currently works for a food bank in Indianapolis where she says she is able to help neighbors in need and give back to the community.

"Being able to be a voice for those who have no voice - that is my motto. Even though where you start, you don't have to stay there. So, that is my biggest motto that I stand on: You may start here, you may be on government assistance, you may be in poverty, but that does not have to be your end game," she said.

Families who benefited from the increased aid were more than twice as likely to pay their overdue rent during the initial stages of the pandemic. The Child Tax Credit did not pass in time for this year's tax deadline, and its prospects for the future are uncertain.


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Washington joins a handful of states to do away with mandatory meetings for employees on political or religious matters.

Sometimes known as captive audience meetings, the gatherings were seen as a way for employers to give their opinions on subjects like unionization, and held potential consequences for employees who didn't attend. Lawmakers passed a bill this session allowing workers to skip the meetings without repercussions.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, a sponsor of the bill, said we live in a divided society where emotions run high on political topics.

"This bill simply protects employees to have a real choice on whether or not to attend a meeting called by their boss to be told about some political or religious issue," Keiser explained.

Keiser pointed out the legislation is nonpartisan. For instance, employers could not force employees to attend anti-union meetings, but also could not force them to attend a meeting about the importance of reproductive rights. The bill takes effect June 6.

Keiser noted the bill likely got across the finish line this session because of the uptick in union organizing and support for labor. She added there are widely known stories of Starbucks managers, for example, requiring employees to attend anti-union meetings while the employees organized the workplace.

"Employees have been forced to attend meetings to listen to the boss or the employer basically tell them why they shouldn't join a union," Keiser observed.

Washington is the sixth state to pass a law prohibiting attendance at captive audience meetings. Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota and New York have passed similar laws in recent years. Oregon passed a law allowing workers to skip such meetings without repercussions in 2010.


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