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Recognized as an Effective School-to-Work Practice, July, 2001
Take Work to Your Kids Day – A Program for Elementary School Children
Teamsters Local Union 147
Des Moines, Iowa
Overview of the Project
For the past four years, Teamsters Local Union No. 147 has conducted work and career awareness activities for elementary school youth in Des Moines, Iowa. In collaboration with the Labor Institute for Workforce Development, a multi-union cooperative organization, the local regularly conducts classroom and school-wide presentations to youth who attend Oak Park Elementary. Members of the local use "high interest" materials and resources to help the children "make a connection" between their interests and the world of work. To engage the students in the work experience activities the local calls upon it broad range of more than 2,400 members, from police and other public service employees to UPS, freight, and warehouse workers and others, to make classroom presentations. For example, to introduce various occupations, local members use work trucks, police cars, and other types of equipment to provide students with a genuine "show-and-tell" learning experience. In their presentations, members talk to the students about their work futures, helping them to gain an awareness that there are many satisfying and high paying jobs that will be available to them besides the college-oriented "professional" occupations which often the main focus of career awareness activities offered in schools. At each presentation, students are encouraged to ask questions to raise their understanding of the wide variety of union jobs they may want to consider in the future.
The Need
All too often, information about types of occupations available to students are those which require extensive postsecondary preparation or "corporate" level occupations. As a result, many students are not exposed to the many highly skilled, rewarding, and high paying occupations held by those who belong to a labor union. In response to this issue, Teamsters Local Union 147 has targeted their school-to-work efforts to help elementary students gain an increased perspective of what Ronald McClain, President of Teamster Local Union 147, describes as "the true workforce that’s out there." One of the major goals of the local’s school-to-work activities is to help students "make the connection" between their interest and abilities with the world of work. Based on a philosophy of "catch ‘em while they’re young," presentations are designed to appeal to all types of students. However, the local is particularly focused on reaching out to those who are not interested in pursuing a college oriented career and need to learn about the extensive variety of other types of worthwhile career options.
Besides helping students to gain a larger perspective about career options that are held by local members, Teamsters Local Union 147 also seeks to dispel the notion that jobs within the ranks of labor are often just manual, unskilled occupations. Quite the contrary—President McClain suggests that high technology is becoming more prevalent and increasingly important and that many union jobs will require the use of complex technology in the future. It is critical, even at an early age, that students understand the wide range of career opportunities that are available to them, including those that require the application of sophisticated, "high-tech" skills.
Meeting the Need
In meeting the need to expand the knowledge and awareness of elementary students about labor, Teamsters Local Union 147 has adopted two primary strategies: (1) classroom presentations, and (2) "show-and-tell" demonstrations. More often than not, these two strategies are combined where members of the union introduce themselves to the students and explain "what they do." Generally, union presenters do not discuss "labor-management" issues, other than explaining to them that the purpose of the union is to ensure that workers are afforded with better wages and a good standard of living. Instead, classroom presentation focus on the types of job opportunities that are available to students, particularly for those not interested in pursuing a "white collar" career. For these students, the union presenter asks them to think about what their career plans will be when they graduate from high school, letting them know that there are a number of options available to them in occupations held by union members.
To make the learning experience more "real" for students, union presentations are often accompanied by demonstrating an actual piece of equipment or apparatus that is used on a union job. For example, students will be shown "over the road" rigs or police cars to demonstrate what truckers and police actually do in their daily jobs. Students get the chance to see firsthand how union members use their equipment and how they do their jobs. The demonstrations help many students to "visualize" their future and increase their awareness about the types of jobs that are available to them. In addition to the "show-and-tell" presentation, students are also given the opportunity to ask questions of the union presenters. Typically, these questions are prepared prior to the presentation with the help of the classroom teacher. These questions help focus the presentation and serve as a stimulus to engage students in an extended "open session" where any student is allowed to pose a question or express their views. After the presentation, students are encouraged to write down what they have learned with paper and pencil supplied by the local.
Teamsters Local Union 147 also provides students with informational handouts that are oriented toward the elementary reader. Occasionally, a display may be used to give students a more comprehensive understanding of the wide range of job roles held by union members. The display consists of pictures which show men and women working in the various types of jobs held by union members and is particularly useful when members give "back-to-back" presentations to different classrooms. Generally, 15-20 minutes is sufficient to conduct classroom presentations, while "show-and-tell" demonstrations will require some additional time. In most cases, classroom presentations and demonstrations seem to yield the best results when the size of the class consists of 25-30 students.
The Results
According to President McClain, the biggest benefit is educating students about the range of job of options that are available to them. While it is sometimes difficult to know the extent to which the students truly comprehend the purpose of a union, members of Teamsters Local Union 147 know the students are having fun and learning about different types of jobs. Some of the feedback comes from teachers, who often invite union presenters to return and give presentations in the future. President McClain indicates that teachers are quite receptive to the presentations by union members and suggest that it represents a worthwhile learning experience for the students.
Another source of feedback is from the comments that students write down after the presentation. Students write about what they learned from the presentation and comment on the "show-and-tell" demonstration. From the responses received at each presentation, it is clear that students are having fun and seem to be increasing their level of awareness about various career options. As indicated by President McClain, "We want to make the learning experience fun for the younger kids—it helps them to search out what they like and what the future can hold for them."
Reflections
In reflecting on his four years of coordinating Work to Kids Day, President McClain urges other Teamster locals around the country to "get actively involved in their community." Whether it is a school or a community youth organization—now more than ever—it is critical for labor to get in the "real world" to educate youth and promote unionism—as stated by President McClain, "We need to promote unions." It is particularly beneficial for locals to identify and reach out to youth whose interests and skills lie in the types of jobs held by union members. Locals that are considering school-to-work efforts should look at other programs to see what types of activities they can do to make the "best fit" between their members and school and community needs.
With regard to resources and other start-up costs, President McClain indicates that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is an excellent and highly supportive resource where materials and ideas for school-to-work activities can be obtained. President McClain also stated that he has taken much of the responsibility in relation to the local’s Work to Kids Day, occasionally receiving help with local agents and union members involved in "show-and-tell" activities. For the most part, President McClain says that most of the "start-up" cost is the time he spends on making presentations and arranging for "show-and-tell" demonstrations. However, because of the local’s commitment to educating youth about unions, President McClain stated that "I don’t put a pencil cost on it—if it involves the education of our youth, I just go and do it."
More Information
For additional information about Work to Kids Day, contact:
Mr. Ronald L. McClain, President
Teamsters Local Union No. 147
2425 Delaware Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50317
Phone: 515-262-9711
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