Submitted by California Federation of Teachers, California Labor Federation and San Mateo County Central Labor Council (Calif.)
Referred to the Legislation and Policy Committee
WHEREAS, union density in the United States has fallen to levels unseen since early in the last century; and
WHEREAS, a strong labor movement is crucial to preservation and advancement of democracy, and to the betterment of the lives of working people; and
WHEREAS, students need to know about labor history and the role of unions in protecting workers’ rights in order to make informed decisions about their lives at work; and
WHEREAS, there are a growing number of local resources and programs devoted to K–12 labor education and to new member orientation, including those produced and facilitated by the CFT Labor in the Schools Committee; and WHEREAS, these programs and resources, to be more useful and effective, require support and coordination at levels beyond the capacity of any one organization;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the California Labor Federation call upon the AFL-CIO to join a task force formed by the AFT to develop policy recommendations to support and coordinate K–12 labor education nationally; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the California Labor Federation call upon the AFL-CIO to co-sponsor a national K–12 Labor Education Conference convened by the AFT within the next two years in order to acquaint teachers and union activists with the best practices in the field, and to begin implementation of a coordinated K–12 labor education campaign, based on the task force’s policy recommendations.