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Recognized as an Effective School-to-Work Practice, July, 2001
Educating High School Students about Unions
Teamsters Local Union 601
Stockton, California
Overview of the Project
Teamsters Local Union 601 has created a cooperative working relationship with the Stockton, California high schools to share information about unions and the labor negotiation process. Over the past several years, Educating High School Students about Unions has been communicating to high school students the importance and benefits of unions in the workplace. Periodically, throughout the school year, members of Local 601 enter high school classrooms to share information about the history of organized labor and the Teamsters. In addition, students are provided with information about how unions protect its members and the range of benefits that are available to workers. Students also learn from using actual examples about the basics of contract negotiation and the collective bargaining process. To facilitate understanding among the students, members of Local 601 compare and contrast union contracts with the types of jobs in which students are currently employed. Through demonstrating the wide discrepancies in pay and benefits that exist between union and non-union jobs, the students are given the opportunity to witness firsthand what unions can do to help workers. This aspect of the discussion resonates quite well, especially for those students who are currently working in jobs that offer few benefits and relatively low pay. Occupational information is also shared with students regarding the types of union jobs that are available within the Stockton, California area, primarily in the cannery industry where many of the local’s 6,000 members are employed.
The Need
Many students who are looking for summer employment are not aware of the good wages that can be earned working in a union job. Quite often, these students settle for much lower paying jobs in the non-union service industry (i.e., fast food, ) not fully realizing the opportunities available to them through union jobs. For example, many of the members that belong to Teamsters Local Union 601 work in the cannery industry and despite the prevalence of summer employment opportunities in this area, many students are simply not aware of the higher pay and benefits available to them through a union. As observed by Lucio Reyes, Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Office of Local 601, there is almost a complete lack of a curricular focus on unions, not only in terms of what union membership means for the individual worker, but also the widespread impact that labor has on the national economy. As a result, when Mr. Reyes enters a high school classroom, he typically finds very few students who know anything about unions and the role that unions play in safeguarding and improving the lives of its members in the workplace.
Meeting the Need
One effective way of gaining the attention of high school students is to provide them with information in which they can easily relate to in their daily lives. Many students at this age are already working in jobs within the community or perhaps have had some type of summer employment experience through a school-work program. However, because most of these jobs involve entry level service employment, many students remain unaware of what a union is and what it represents to its members. According to Lucio Reyes, "Most students just look around the room when I ask them what a union is." Several times during the school year, members of Teamsters Local Union 601 visit Stockton area high schools to share information about unions and the labor negotiation process. Students are provided with information on the history of organized labor and the Teamsters in particular, along with information about why unions are important to overall economic development and the role played by unions to secure and maintain benefits for its members. To facilitate understanding among students, Mr. Reyes will often bring along an actual contract to show the students the range of benefits that are available through the union. By comparing and contrasting union benefits with other types of jobs familiar to the students (e.g., fast food), it quickly becomes apparent to many students that a union contract can offer much more in terms of pay and benefits. This is particularly the case for those students that are presently working in non-union jobs that offer no or only marginal benefits, along with lower pay. Using examples from the cannery industry, Mr. Reyes points out that the union jobs available in this sector of the local economy have provided many opportunities for area students, particularly those who eventually decided to continue their education at the college level. For example, many local professionals living and working in Stockton, California worked summer jobs as union members, employment that virtually paid for their college education.
The Results
Once students learn about unions and what they have to offer, their interest in this subject increases dramatically, particularly for those students currently working in jobs. They clearly see the discrepancy between what a union will have to offer versus the job in which they are presently working. According to Mr. Reyes, many students are also surprised to learn what summer job opportunities are available to them in their area, along with the good pay and benefits that accompany these jobs. Mr. Reyes stated that "It doesn’t matter where I go, someone always comes up to me and tells me about what a great experience it was working in a cannery during the summers to earn money for school." Mr. Reyes indicated that these people come from all walks of life and many have expressed how that experience helped them to realize the importance of being a member of the union. According Mr. Reyes, this positive experience has been carried forward for a good number of former students, regardless of the kind of career choice they have made.
Reflections
"Learning about unions should be part of the high school curriculum." was an opinion expressed by Lucio Reyes, who often finds that high school students are provided with little or no information about unions throughout the span of their education at the secondary level. Mr. Reyes strongly recommends that unions should work to see that information about labor organizations be included in the high school curriculum to increase the awareness among students who are ready to enter the job market. While Mr. Reyes indicated that the school-to-work efforts which have been initiated through Educating High School Students about Unions have met with a large degree of success, it could be also be expanded as an outreach mechanism to a number of other schools as well. For other unions who are interested in replicating the efforts of Teamsters Local Union 730, Mr. Reyes suggests that members use their already established contacts within the community to promote their school-to-work program. For example, union members who are involved in school activities can talk with the principal or draw attention to the program at a school board meeting. Once access has been gained to the classroom, the contact base will expand considerably, offering the union even more opportunities to become involved in school-to-work activities.
More Information
For additional information about the Educating High School Students about Unions contact:
Mr. Lucio Reyes, Secretary-Treasurer
Teamsters Local Union No. 601
745 E. Miner Avenue
Stockton, California 95202
Phone: 209-948-2800
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