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Recognized as an Effective School-to-Work Practice, July, 2001
Helping Elementary School Students Understand Unions
Teamsters Local Union 730
Washington, DC
Overview of the Project
Teamsters Local Union 730 has focused its school-to-work efforts by bringing the union message to students attending the Eugene Burroughs Elementary School in Washington, DC. One of the unique features of this program is that the school has been "adopted" by the Local 730, providing it with the opportunity to concentrate its school-to-work efforts. As a result, Local 730 is involved in a wide range of school related activities, ranging from school and classroom presentations to helping sponsor the school’s annual ""Family Day"." In school and classroom presentations, members of the local strive to impress upon youth the importance of their education as well as the value of life as a member of the Teamsters. Members distribute pencils, buttons, tablets and other Local 730 items to provide the students with an incentive. "Adopting" a school can result in a number of benefits for students, for the school, and for the union. For example, students benefit from having annual contact with members of Local 730 so that they can have the opportunity learn about unions. The school itself benefits from Local 730’s involvement because of the support received in conducting "Family Day" activities. Finally, the local also benefits as a result of contributing to the education of the students about unions. An additional benefit for Local 730 is the opportunity to conduct voter registration activities during the ""Family Day"" event.
The Need
To ensure the future of a qualified Teamster workforce, it is critically important for young people to understand what unions are and what they can mean to their lives. As such, Teamsters Local Union 730 has focused their school-to-work efforts on reaching out to students at the elementary level. In doing so, students are introduced to the union message at an early age and are able to gain a more enlightened perspective, rather than one that may be biased or misinformed. In summarizing the need for this project, John Woodall, Secretary-Treasured of Local 730, stated that a primary goal of the project was "to stimulate conversation at home so that parents can talk to their children about unions." In addition to informing elementary students about the benefits of unions, developing a relationship with the school also addresses the need for the local to be actively involved in the school and community. The local has met this need by "adopting" the school, contributing significantly to increasing labor’s overall presence in the community.
Meeting the Need
By "adopting" a school, Teamsters Local Union 730 has formed a strong relationship between the union and the school community. Not only has this unique process of "adoption" provided a young audience to carry out its school-to-work activities, it has also done much to help the local focus its outreach efforts. In this case, the local is targeting its activities to appeal to an elementary school-aged audience. To accomplish this task, members of the local conduct school-wide and classroom presentations. During these presentations, children are provided with the opportunity to learn about what unions are, including information about the various types of jobs available as a union member. Because of the relatively young age of the student body, every effort is made to convey information at a level consistent with their level of understanding and experience. As such, members of Local 730 strive to make their presentations interesting and relevant to the students. Quite often, the local will utilize the support of retirees to help conduct Helping Elementary Students to Understand Unions activities. In general, many retirees find that rapport is easily developed with the students and their involvement also helps them to maintain their relationship with the local. In addition to making presentations to students about the importance of unions, Local 730 is also a very active participant in the school’s "Family Day" event. A collaborative activity between the local and the school, "Family Day" is aimed at reaching out to both students and their parents alike. As the primary funding sponsor of "Family Day," union members and retirees prepare food and organize family oriented games and activities at Burroughs Elementary. Also, during this event, Local 730 sets up a voter registration table to register eligible adults attending the event.
The Results
According to John Woodall, it’s the satisfaction knowing that students attending Burroughs Elementary have had the opportunity to hear about the union way of life. Even though they are young, Mr. Woodall states that as students get older, they "will be able reflect back on the fun time they had at "Family Day" as a result of the union." This longer-term benefit is also accompanied with short-term benefits as well, namely the benefits derived from the local’s involvement in the school and it’s neighborhood. For example, Mr. Woodall points out the very positive relationship that has formed between the union and the school, resulting in much support from the teachers and principal. In particular, the school is very supportive of the "Family Day" because the funding received from Teamsters Local Union 730 to host this event does not require a significant investment of school resources. Another immediate benefit to the union is the opportunity to get out the union message to the community and along with that, carry out voter registration activities. Thus, while benefits to students will be realized over the longer term, Helping Elementary Students to Understand Unions also yields a number of short-term benefits as well.
Reflections
"I wouldn’t change anything we’ve done." was the comment of John Woodall. Mr. Woodall characterizes the Helping Elementary Students to Understand Unions school-to-work activities as "very gratifying" for the local and indicated he would like to see the program expanded in the future. Currently, the local is encouraging the creation of a charter group of retirees to adopt other schools in the area, principally the local high school, where a more immediate impact can be made on the students. Mr. Woodall notes that the recruitment of retirees has been a strength of the program—not only does this group constitute readily available resource with years of experience that can be utilized to help the local conduct its school-to-work efforts, it is a very effective way of keeping members involved in union activities even when they have decided to retire. In reflecting upon the union’s school-to-work efforts, Mr. Woodall also stressed how satisfied he was working with the staff at Burroughs Elementary. In a discussion involving the "Family Day" event, he indicated that it is "very easy to do this—the school sets up most of it (i.e., "Family Day") and we just work with the coordinator—the school calls us to ask if we would like to participate. For other unions contemplating possible school-to-work activities for their local, Mr. Woodall said "You should contact the school to talk with them and find out whether they have something similar to a "Family Day" or a Career Day—get them to understand it’s a win-win situation."
More Information
For more information about the Helping Elementary Students to Understand Unions program, contact:
Mr. John Woodall, Secretary-Treasurer/Business Agent
Teamsters Local Union No. 730
2001 Rhode Island Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20018
Phone: 202-529-3434
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