Labor Union History & Impact Today

Labor Union History & Impact Today

How do labor unions work? What impact have they had on the course of history, particularly in the United States? As the American Federation of Teachers celebrates its 100th anniversary, "Share My Lesson" has curated a collection of lesson plans, activities and resources to help explore the role of labor unions with K-12 students. Take a look at how labor unions strive to address fairness in the workplace. Help students explore some of the social justice issues they have fought for. The collection is at http://sharemylesson.com/content/labor-union-history-social-justice. Downloadable lessons include an Elementary lesson "Trouble in the Hen House" that uses a puppet show about hens organizing against a mean farmer to help students understand the power of collective action. "Who was Cesar Chavez?" is a middle level lesson that provides students with the opportunity to learn about Chavez, his efforts to help farmworkers, and his impact on the labor movement. The "Collective Bargaining Project" is a grade9-12 simulation that helps students understand the basic ideas behind unions and collective bargaining. The site includes a number of other excellent lessons from the California Federation of Teachers "Labor in the Schools" project. Teachers are able to submit lesson plans to Share My Lesson in a variety of grade levels and subjects. For additional lessons and resources on teaching and learning about the American labor movement and its history, visit the American Labor Studies Center, www.labor-studies.org.