Unions-A bit of their history and purpose

Labor Unions

• Unions have been around ever since the industrial revolution when workers had to ban together to demand better wages and working conditions from their extremely wealthy and powerful bosses.

Worker’s gathered around one of last spikes to be driven in. Retrieved from http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Transcontinental_railroad on 5/4/11

Unions Today

• Some of the unions we have today:

Unions Today

• With executives being granted more and more power, unions are historically weaker than they have been in the past.

• Some experts argue unions are archaic and no longer necessary.

• What do you think?

• Would you join a union?

Investigate for yourself

• Using one of the four unions pictured on the previous slide (NEA, NFLPA, MLBPA, USW), answer the questions in the word document that is saved to your student drive labeled “Union Factsheet.” All of the information you need to find will be on their organizational websites.

Unions Appear in pop culture also

• Lisa Simpson’s Union song

• Mike and Mike in the Morning interview the NFLPA president

Unions are in trouble

• Many unions today are having trouble getting their voices heard.

• Detroit public schools may be forced to have up to 60 students in a single classroom article by Sarah Cwiek for NPR. March 3rd, 2011.

• What would our class be like with 60 students? Visual demonstration. Could I teach? Could you learn?