In this photo taken on Friday, July 26, 2019, Greta Thunberg stands next to Swedish parliament in Stockholm. Thunberg, the Swedish teenager whose social media-savvy brand of eco-activism has inspired tens of thousands of students in Europe to skip classes and protest for faster action against climate change, said Monday, July 29, 2019 that she plans to take her message to America the old-fashioned way: by boat. (AP Photo/David Keyton)

In this photo taken on Friday, July 26, 2019, Greta Thunberg stands next to Swedish parliament in Stockholm. Thunberg, the Swedish teenager whose social media-savvy brand of eco-activism has inspired tens of thousands of students in Europe to skip classes and protest for faster action against climate change, said Monday, July 29, 2019 that she plans to take her message to America the old-fashioned way: by boat. (AP Photo/David Keyton)

BERLIN (AP) — One of Germany’s largest unions is calling on its members to join a worldwide protest calling for action on climate change next month.

Verdi head Frank Bsirske told the WAZ newspaper on Monday he was calling on the union’s 2 million members to take part in the Sept. 20 protest that’s being organized by the group “Fridays for Future.”

The group, which was inspired by Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, has attracted thousands to its weekly protests in cities across Europe and elsewhere in the world over the past year.

Many are students who skip school to join the protests.

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Bsirske says he’s not calling for union members to walk off work but to join in after their shifts are done.

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