Unions

Los Angeles teachers and their allies won a strike demanding improved public education in LA. Students explore the background, strategy, demands, and impact of the strike with a quiz, reading, and discussion.

With Republicans gaining control of all three branches of the federal government, unions are under increasing attack. For students, this raises some pertinent questions: What are unions? Why are they important? And how will the attack on unions affect working people in our country?  

A major strike by workers at Verizon offers a teachable moment: Why do people join unions? Why do they strike? And why are they now striking Verizon?  

Labor Day isn't just a holiday, it's a teachable moment. In this lesson, students learn about the history of Labor Day and some of the labor movement’s past accomplishments, then consider unions' current challenges and the growing "alt-labor" movement.

A wave of protests by Walmart workers highlights the low wages and anti-union climate facing workers at Walmart - and many other companies. In two readings, students explore the debate over Walmart’s business model and labor practices and find out about recent protests at Walmart stores across the...

See our three recent classroom lessons aimed at helping students grapple with both the personal and political sides of high-stakes testing:

A one-day strike by fast food workers in New York City is a teachable moment for students on the fast food industry and worker organizing. This lesson includes a brainstorm, small-group readings and discussion, and an opinion continuum activity to get students thinking about these issues.

This pdf booklet, produced by the City University of New York's Murphy Institute, includes lots of facts and figures (and cartoons) about issues such as government spending and public sector wages, providing rich material for a HS or college social studies or economics class.

The proposed Employee Free Choice Act makes this a teachable moment for students: why is union membership declining in this country? Is organizing too difficult? A document-based question exercise follows.