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Recognized as an Effective School-to-Work Practice, July, 2001
Learning for Life Program
Teamsters Local Union 414
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Overview of the Project
The Learning for Life Program established by the Chauffeurs, Teamsters and Helpers Local Union No. 414 provides middle school and high school students with information on unions and driving occupations in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. This is a collaborative effort with the local Boy Scouts of America and has been an ongoing program since March of 1994. The program consists of speaking to classes of 25-30 middle school and high school students on a wide range of union and occupational topics. More specifically, the program helps students to understand the role of organized labor and the Teamsters in the United States, discusses the importance of organized labor to promote workers and families, and presents information on wage differences in union vs. non-union workplaces.
With approximately 3,200 members, Local 414 represents workers in the fields of trucking, transportation and warehousing. The specific job classifications of Local 414 members include truck drivers, bus drivers, route sales, and warehousing occupations. According to Brian Lytle, Local 414’s safety specialist, the employment outlook for individuals in these occupations is about average with minimal gains and losses projected over the next several years. As part of its Learning for Life Program, Local 414 provides middle school and high school students with information on truck driver wages, benefits, Commercial Driver’s Licence requirements, and general working conditions in the industry. In classroom presentations and discussions, students are encouraged to ask questions about how to prepare for and enter truck driving and related occupations. Brian Lytle, Local 414’s Safety Specialist stresses that: "This is a high interest program for students and overall we make an important contribution in helping them to better understand the role of unions and what it’s like to work in the trucking industry. In fact, the response from teachers has been overwhelming. At one school, in particular, the teacher has requested Local 414 to make numerous presentations to students. The reason why we were invited back was that we offered high interest approach to learning that these youngsters listen to."
The Learning for Life Program serves students in grades 7-12 throughout the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. This past year the program has been involved in several middle and high schools and approximately 300 students have received information about the Teamsters, organized labor in general, as well as the trucking and transportation industry. Of importance also is that this program has reached out to female students so they become familiar with and fully understand that the field of trucking and transportation is a diverse field with many opportunities for young women. In addition, almost half (45%) of the students served by Local 414, are African American, Hispanic and Asian students who are also strongly encouraged to consider careers in the trucking and transportation industry.
The Need
Beginning in 1994, Local 414 teamed up with the Boy Scouts of America’s Learning for Life Series. The Learning for Life Series is a program designed by the Boy Scouts to introduce young people to a wide range of industries and occupations available to high school graduates. Local 414 became involved to specifically help make students aware of careers available in the trucking and transportation industry. This collaboration with the Boy Scouts of America was important for several reasons. First it enabled Local 414 to join a larger initiative focused on increasing the occupational awareness of students of a wide range of careers. Being part of the Boy Scouts of America’s Learning for Life Series provided an initial strategy or structure for developing the approach to classroom level presentations in middle and high schools. Second, the Boy Scouts had an already established relationship with the public schools in the Fort Wayne area. This gave Local 414 ready access to schools and classrooms throughout the community. Finally, the Boy Scouts Learning for Life Series has carried with it a strong vision and mission, consistent with Local 414’s perspective and views on the career development of young people.
Local 414 also recognized that there was a need to increase student awareness and understanding about unions and their importance in American culture. Providing students a sense of history about organized labor and its role in promoting worker career opportunities, benefits and rights was important to the Local’s leadership and members. In addition, there was also a recognition that a large number of students still choose not to attend college and university training programs. These students, according to Brian Lytle, "need help and guidance on how to make good choices about their careers and we strongly believe that we could make a difference by providing them good information about the Teamsters and the trucking and transportation industry." For students not pursuing college and university training, alternative opportunities for students to learn about careers as well as the difference between union and non-union work environments, was viewed by Local 414 as an important role they could assume in the Fort Wayne public schools. Not only do these activities help to ensure that students are provided with an opportunity to find good paying jobs, but they also enhance and support the Local’s interest by bringing interested and motivated students into the trucking and transportation industry.
Meeting the Need
As noted earlier, the Boy Scouts of America’s Learning for Life Series provided an initial template for organizing Local 414’s approach to sharing information about unions and the trucking and transportation industry. The Local added information about the Teamsters and the history and role of organized labor in America to the Boy Scout’s original program format. The overall Learning for Life Program that Local 414 operates includes several major information sharing components. These components include: (1) an orientation and overview of the history and role of organized labor and the Teamsters in the United States, (2) information that helps students to understand union’s service role to communities and families, (3) opportunities for students to learn about worker benefits and rights through question and answer sessions, (4) formal presentations on occupations in the trucking and transportation industry, and (5) providing students an understanding of what it takes to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) exam and enter the industry. Local 414 members who serve as presenters also convey a strong message to students regarding the importance of remaining in school and completing their high school education. Union member presenters also help students think through the next steps following high school and what it take to enter the trucking and transportation industry. They convey information about the availability of public and private postsecondary education training programs that prepare individuals to become truck drivers, school bus drivers, warehouse workers, and other occupations.
Classroom audiences for these presentations involve approximately 25-32 students in grades 7-12 who are attending middle schools and high schools throughout the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. Presentations last for a period of 1-2 hours and include a formal presentation as well as time to answer a wide range of questions from students. Another important strategy is to focus on local trucking, transportation and warehousing industry examples. These examples, according to Local 414, help to provide students with a meaningful and realistic understanding of the local labor industry context, issues that have been encountered by the unions in the local area, as well as helping to direct students to specific companies and training opportunities that they can access following graduation from high school.
The Results
With regard to the early development of this program, Brian Lytle has comments that: "The overall program belonged to the Boy Scouts of America, getting started was relatively easy and there weren’t any real start-up costs other than making the time to establish contact and learn about the program and its approaches." The commitment of time necessary to operate the program totals only 2-4 hours per month for the Local. This is the time that is typically spent directly in classrooms making presentations to students.
Overall, more than 1,000 students have participated in classroom discussions and presentations. This past year, for example, because of the high interest in the program, approximately 300 students were involved in presentations by Teamster members. While it is difficult to predict the long term impact of such a program on young people, Local 414 feels that it has already helped to direct several students to the trucking and transportation industry. Other evidence exists that suggests that the Learning for Life Program has made a positive impact on young people, teachers, and the community as a whole. For example, the Local has received very positive feedback directly from students regarding the program. Learning about future careers, wages and benefits in a high interest area such as trucking and transportation has been highly valued by students. Several teachers in the Fort Wayne area have called upon Local 414 to make presentations on several occasions. These teachers comment that the local provides "highly motivating and stimulating career information presentations that truly help young people in our community to understand and value the role of unions and also learn a wide range of useful information about the transportation industry."
The Learning for Life Program has also had an impact on Local 414 members as well. The program has stressed the importance of the local’s involvement in supporting communities and their schools in unique ways. The opportunities extended to members to make presentations has been highly valued by the local’s leadership as well as rank and file members. A clear message conveyed throughout the local is that it is critically important to help young people to understand organized labor, the reasons why young people should consider union operated companies, and why the trucking and transportation industry is an excellent choice for their future careers. According to Brian Lytle: "The positive recognition received from the schools and the positive feedback we have received from teachers and students have all helped to promote a positive view of Local 414 and build union credibility within the community."
Reflections
Mr. Lytle suggests that Teamsters Locals who are interested in replicating the Learning for Life Program, contact their local Boy Scout program to inquire about the Learning for Life Series. It also is important, however, to conduct discussions about the value and importance of conducting a program before union leadership begins to undertake such a program. It is important that Locals determine whether such a program is of interest to its members. That is, what level of importance do members assign to educating students about organized labor, the role of unions in today’s workplace, as well as to inform students about specific careers. This initial level of support will not only help to involve union members in the planning and development of a program, but it also helps to promote an important message to all members that unions are part of their communities and schools.
Developing working relationships with local schools did require some initial front end time from the Local. However, once these initial relationships were developed and the program experienced success in the schools, requests came by word of mouth. According to Local 414’s Brian Lytle: "It was important to develop these working relationships with teachers and principals to get our foot in the door and be extended the opportunity to participate in classrooms. Once we got in, teachers were very positive regarding the message we carried as well as the way we delivered the message." Information about the union and the Learning for Life Program was shared with teachers up front as an initial means of building awareness and understanding of what it was Local 414 wanted to accomplish through its relationship with schools.
In summary, Mr. Lytle comments that, "The Learning for Life Program is relatively easy and cost effective to replicate because of the relationship with the Boy Scouts of America. Even in the absence of this relationship with the Boy Scouts, carrying out the Learning for Life Program could be accomplished with relative ease and limited costs. Overall, there is certainly no need for union locals to reinvent the wheel when they want to get started on a project like this. We at Local 414 found a partner, like the Boy Scouts, which helped us to get going initially in thinking about others might get started, however, may be nothing more than making a phone call to another union local to learn more about their program, request materials to get started, and discuss strategies for getting involved with schools in their local area and state."
More Information
For additional information about the Learning for Life Program contact:
Mr. Brian Lytle, Safety Specialist
Teamsters Local Union No. 414
2644 Cass Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46808
Phone: 219-483-7159
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