Wisconsin’s teachers required to teach kids labor union and collective bargaining history

[midnight]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/dailycaller/20110224/pl_dailycaller/wisconsine28099steachersrequiredtoteachkidslaborunionandcollectivebargaininghistory

The Wisconsin Labor History Society recommends that, when teachers talk about labor unions and collective bargaining today, they use the following talking points:
1. Unions work closely in the community, are responsible for passage of key civil rights laws and other citizen protections.
2. Unions face greater employer challenges after President Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers in 1981.
3. Unions develop highly successful political efforts during last two decades of the 20th Century.
4. Organizing and aggressive political action became the top two priorities of the AFL-CIO with the election of John Sweeney as President in 1995.


http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5125/labor_scores_long-sought_history_victory_in_wisconsin_schools/


Trouble is, most people don't remember how crucial labor was in pushing Depression-era politicians to codify the basic features of American working life we now take for granted. Either they don't know any labor history buffs, or they never learned about workers' struggles in school.


While the law does not mandate that labor history be taught in schools, its presence in state standards means some schools will likely teach the subject, and that the state will provide assistance to schools that do.

Will this law help professor Cronon with his efforts to teach about the impact on labor that Scott Walkers bill would create, and prevent him from being pursued under a violation of the Hatch law?

[Tippy]

1. Will this law help professor Cronon? I sure hope so....

[plumbob]

2. The egalitarianism of unions and the basic stupidity of greedy people

have led to unions being under fire.

Egalitarianism - every time the unions gained something good - an end to child labor, 40 hour work weeks, breaks, vacation, pensions, and much more, they always included everyone, union and non-union workers to receive the benefits.

This led to many non-union types to think that they had somehow gotten these benefits through their own individual merits and were a reward from a grateful management, which stirred them into a tizzy if they thought they might ever have to pay a union due. This basic stupidity of greedy people led directly to baggerism.

So yes, we do need labor education in the schools. In my own economics course for seniors in high school, we take three weeks. But my own background is a little odd - my granddad organized for the IWW, and my dad helped organize the American Postal Workers Union, so I and my siblings grew up aware.

[midnight]

3. Unions share the winnings vs Big Business that sucks up every last morsel of winnings for themselves

[plumbob]

4. Better than I said it!

Thank you!