The Significance of Labor Day
Labor Day provides a way to introduce students to the issues of the labor movement.
By Marie Carney Hossfeld
Do today's students have any idea why we celebrate Labor Day? In our current economy, when families struggle, the work they perform becomes worth less and less. As jobs become harder and harder to come by, perhaps its time to emphasize that working conditions in America were much more dire in the past, and that one of the major things that keeps such conditions from rearing their ugly heads again is the activism of the average worker.
The Tuesday following Labor Day, ask students what they did with their day off. Then ask if they know why they had a day off so early in the school year. Talk with the class about work-related problems and disasters, such as the explosion on the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20th. Eleven workers were killed in the explosion, and one of the biggest oil spills in history occurred. Pose the question: Why do these failures continue today? We all have complaints at work. Can the labor movement offer answers to today's problems?
An effective way to shape the discussion about the need for Labor Day and the purpose of unions can be best directed through showing what generated steam in the union movement, what the labor movement has produced, and a discussion of if and how the movement can help America today. The following lessons can provide such dialogue.
Labor Day and the Labor Movement Lessons:
American History Through Music's Voices Across Time
This lesson features a unit on the “Emergence of Modern America; Whose Fruits and Just Desserts?” This unit takes an in-depth look at labor movements. Using songs of the early 20th century labor movement, participants are encouraged to draw their own conclusions about the actions of labor unions and management.
Using a collection of newspaper articles relating to a strike in Ludlow, Colorado, students learn about what happened in this town. The striking workers were treated inhumanely. While the workers and their families were unable to enjoy the benefits that they gave their lives to bring about, they invigorated a movement that improved the lives of millions.
Should They Stay or Should They Go?
This lesson has students discuss the importance of labor unions in our current society. Students talk about labor organizations, such as the AFL-CIO. This a great lesson to use at the end of a unit about labor unions.
