Labor History Week

Labor History Week is the first week in April. Enacted by legislation in 2002, California schools are encouraging their students to recognize the difference the labor movement has played in shaping the history of California and the United States.

A growing number of websites have teaching and learning resources about the historical achievements of the labor movement. These exciting websites can help your students celebrate Labor History Week.

• http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Intro.aspx - The California Department of Education created this curriculum that focuses on the life and work of Cesar Chavez. This site also includes a bibliography and other resources on Chavez and farm labor issues.

• http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/rc/ap/pubdisplay.aspx?ID=007095 – The California Labor History Map, a visual timeline with more than 250 events in the labor movement, was produced in 2004 by the State Library and the Speaker’s Commission on Labor Education.

• http://calpedia.sfsu.edu/calabor - This website, which enables users to explore, by location, date, or text search, includes over 1200 key events in the state’s labor history that have affected the lives of working people.

• http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/ll/ap/litsearch.asp - The California Department of Education has a list of recommended literature that is searchable by keywords such as “labor” or “workers.”

• http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/publications/index.shtml - Work, Money and Power Unions in the 21^st Century, is a new 24 page pamphlet explaining what unions are and do, including an overview of labor history. It is a CDE approved supplementary history/social science text.

• http://www.cft.org/about/comm/labor - The California Federation of Teachers Web site offers a free 28 page booklet, Labor Education for the K-12 Classroom: Resource Guide for Teachers. This site also features a slideshow celebrating California labor history week and other information about K-12 labor curricula.

• http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~safejobs/safe_month/index.html - The California Coalition for Young Worker Health and Safety is a project led by the Labor and Occupational Health Program at UC Berkeley. It offers materials and activities for Safe Jobs for Youth Month, which follows in May. These activities include contests, curricula, and information packets on worksite safety and health for dissemination to young workers.