Labor+Unions


 * Standard 4. ** Students will understand the diverse ways people make a living in Utah.
 * Objective 4.** Investigate the current status of Utah’s economy.
 * Indicator b.** Outline the role of labor unions.


 * Lesson: Organized Labor **


 * Vocabulary:**
 * Guild
 * Union
 * Collective bargaining
 * Pension
 * Strike
 * Right-to-work state
 * Benefits


 * Questions for this Lesson:**
 * Why are unions organized? What benefits could result from joining a union?
 * What are collective bargaining and a right to work state?
 * Why has union activity declined in Utah/USA?


 * Instructional Activities:**
 * Give an overview of the history of Organized Labor focusing on the following key vocabulary: guilds, unions, collective bargaining, pension, strike, right-to-work state/movement.
 * Here are some web resources for this:
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 * Brief Class Activity: United We Stand, Divided We Fall—the power and safety of numbers.
 * Have students think about being an underground miner in their future career. Think/Pair/Share: Have them brainstorm individually and then with a partner as to the wages, benefits, working conditions, etc. that they would like/need to have working for a mining company. Discuss/Record responses as a class. Then, have students think about being a mine owner in their future. Think/Pair/Share/Discuss/Record.
 * In advance, assign a student to be the mine owner. Tell them in private that they are to reject all individual worker demands. They are only to negotiate with large groups of students. Have individual students (workers) present their demands to the mine owner (and be rejected). Then, encourage students to figure out a way that the mine owner might be more receptive to their demands. This should eventually lead to students grouping themselves together in large groups to go and make demands from the mine owner.
 * Here is a website that has a detailed simulation for this activity:[| http://theharrybridgesproject.org/lesson1h.doc]
 * Show students the following political cartoons and have them individually or with a partner answer the following:
 * 1. What is the cartoon about—what issue is being depicted?
 * 2. What labels, symbols, etc. are used? What do they represent?
 * 3. What parts of the cartoon do you not understand? Where can you go for help?
 * 4. What is the cartoonist’s message?
 * 5. Do you agree or disagree with the message? Justify your answer.




 * Class Discussion: Why has union membership declined in recent years? Are unions still needed in Utah/USA today? Are their other/better ways to ensure worker rights?
 * Enrichment: Have students create their own political cartoon about Organized Labor.


 * Assessment:**
 * Test Question: Why were labor unions created and why are there fewer of them today?


 * Materials / Resources for Teachers:**
 * The Utah Journey textbook pages 226-227, 235-236, 298, 336-337


 * Materials / Resources for Students:**