RESOURCES

Listed below are various resources to assist in getting labor's message out to the schools.

Labor in the Schools – UAW Education Department

This is an interactive program for high school students that includes a teacher's guide and slide show. The presentation focuses on child labor in America — past and present. It also introduces students to labor laws governing workers' rights. Students discuss how political involvement and union activism ensures the continuation of these rights. For more information and to download the program, see the menu, right.

Recommended Reading

The Reuther Brothers
Written by Mike and Pam Smith, the book tells the story of Walter, Victor, and Roy Reuther from their humble childhood beginnings to Walter's becoming president of the UAW. The Reuther brothers experienced the tremendous poverty caused by the depression and witnessed the loss of democracy in Germany and Russia. Deeply affected by the poor working conditions and the lack of dignity suffered by factory workers around the world, the brothers helped to build the UAW into a powerful voice for its members achieving better wages, working conditions, and dignity in the workplace. And as advocates against social injustice, they improved the lives of millions of Americans.

Copies of this book can be obtained from the UAW Purchasing Department, 8000 E. Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48214, or call (313) 926-5221. A teacher's guide can be ordered from Wayne State University Press (313) 577-4600.

Nickel and Dimed
Written by UAW Local 1981 member Barbara Ehrenreich, this book dispels the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform that promises that any job equals a better life. The author finds out first hand that it is almost impossible to survive, let alone prosper, on six to seven dollars an hour. Acclaimed for its insight, humor and passion, this book reveals the plight of low-wage America – that even the lowliest occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts, and one job is not enough if you intend to live indoors.

High school students and adults will find this book significant and consciousness-raising, as well as entertaining. You can order the book at www.henryholt.com.

Michigan Labor for Kids
This magazine is printed four times a year and is designed for fourth graders. Distributed in public, private and home schools, it also has lesson plans for teachers. The “Labor Yesterday & Today” edition (Summer 2003) highlights Walter Reuther and the UAW, as well as other events in Michigan's labor history. There are also games and puzzles to engage students in the learning process.

Copies of the magazine are available for $2.95 each. Discounts are available for orders of five or more. For further information or to order call toll free at (800) 366-3703. Web site: www.michiganhistorymagazine.com.

¡Sí, Se Puede! (Yes, We Can!)
In the August 2003 edition of America @ Work an article written by James Parks entitled, “Telling Kids the Union Story,” highlights a book, ¡Sí, Se Puede! (Yes, We Can!). The book honors the struggles of immigrant Los Angeles janitors, who in April 2000 went on strike for better wages and health insurance. The story tells about Carlito, whose mother cleans offices to support him and his grandmother. The book also includes a poster for the classroom that answers questions about labor unions, strikes, the history of unions in the United States and the concept of solidarity. The book was introduced to all classes at Oyster Bilingual Elementary School in Washington, D.C.

A free copy of the lesson plan is available by visiting www.teachingforchange.org and clicking on “Catalog.” Buy a copy of ¡Sí, Se Puede! (Yes, We Can!) at the Union Shop Online, www.aflcio.org/shop.

Labor Education for the K-12 Curriculum

This is a resource guide for teachers distributed by the California Federation of Teachers (AFT/AFL-CIO). The guide lists books, videotapes, software, lesson plans, Internet resources and more for all grade levels. Some of the resources listed in the guide are:

I, Tomato — A booklet for fourth graders that chronicles the life of a tomato – from the point of view of the tomato — with an emphasis on its interactions with workers who nurture it from inception to your table. Give children a sense of the work that goes into food production and distribution. Includes study questions. Spanish/English.

The Yummy Pizza Company — Ten lesson plans for elementary students (grades 1-5) introducing them to the world of work in a pizza factory simulation. Students learn how to apply for jobs, to work cooperatively on an assembly line, to retail their wares, to bank their earnings and — most importantly — to resolve conflicts through organization and negotiation. Student handouts available in Spanish.

Trouble in the Hen House: A Puppet Show — A flexible elementary curriculum based on a play/puppet show. The play is about hens organizing against a mean farmer. It can be read as a story to K-1 students; grades 2-3 can stage the puppet show; and grades 4-5 can use it in a “readers theater” format or stage the play for younger children.

Golden Lands, Working Hands — An award-winning, comprehensive, ten-part video history of the California labor movement from the Gold Rush to present-day struggles. Designed for maximum classroom flexibility in both high school and adult education settings. Three-hour presentation with binder of lessons, readings and materials.

Condensed California Farm Labor History — Six short video segments from Golden Lands, Working Hands on farm labor from the late 19th century through formation of the United Farm Workers.

Collective Bargaining Education Project — A brochure on high school curriculum and training for engaging classroom roleplays on collective bargaining and labor history.

The resource guide is free. Send your request to CFT, One Kaiser Plaza, Suite 1440, Oakland, CA 94612. For more information, call (510) 832-8812 or e-mail cftoakland@igc.org. The guide can be downloaded as a PDF on the "Labor in the School" web site, www.cft.org/comm-n/labsch.

Family Fun and Resources Web Site

This site by the AFL-CIO features games, crossword puzzles and special features for kids. You'll also find "Kid Links," with more games, magazines, safe chats and more. Here's a sample of what you'll find at www.aflcio.org/familyfunresources/games.

Bet the Farm — Social Security is America's most important, most secure family protection program. It provides a lifeline of monthly benefits to 46 million retirees, people with disabilities, dependents and survivors. Ready to gamble on financial security for the rest of your life?

Big Fish, Little Fish — What happens to the big fish when the little ones decide to work together? See how well you can “organize” the little fish into a powerful force.

Greed — The "Executive PayWatch" board game takes you through a story of what life is like for a millionaire CEO and a worker struggling to make ends meet.

Ping Pong or Pong Pong — Without a union contract, workers are playing at a real disadvantage. Union membership means the boss has to play fair and working people can then become part of the game.

My Coloring Book — See what you can do with the Union Bug.

American Labor Studies Center (ALSC)

The ALSC has a great Web site at www.labor-studies.org that aims to disseminate labor history and labor studies curricula and related materials to K-12 teachers nationwide in cooperation with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and other organizations and agencies who express an interest. There is a wealth of information available as courses and lesson plans. Listed below are just some of the topics covered.

A Short History of American Labor — Includes lesson goals, objectives, concepts, key terms, people, events and legislation.

Child Labor in America — Developed as a part of the Library of Congress' “Learning Page” program, this course provides a series of short lessons that give middle and high school students an understanding of the facts that contributed to the Industrial Revolution.

Labor and Civil Rights: Two Movements, One Goal — There are two versions of this course. In one course, students participate in group discussions and activities to better understand an individual's role in achieving social change. In the second course, students engage in role-playing activity to get a feel for society in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and also to gain insights into other people's prejudices, mannerisms, and behaviors and how they react to social change.

Unions Then and Now — A four-part educational program for high school students with lesson plans and enrichment activities. The lessons contain numerous webquest activities and some historical records to help students understand union history and present-day struggles.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress web site, www.loc.gov, has a section called “The Learning Page” that is an almost unlimited resource on all kinds of subjects for children of all ages. Teacher guides are available that include objectives, recommended grade levels and materials. There are lesson plans for grades 6-12 on subjects such as child labor and organizing.