George Meany Center for Labor Studies Holds Collective Bargaining Institute for Area High School Students

Photograph provided by IBT Education Department

On May 10, 2002, the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland held its first Collective Bargaining Institute for Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties High School Students. The Institute is part of the Collective Bargaining Education Project developed by the California Federation of Teachers Labor in the Schools Committee. Along with other members of the labor community and representatives from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, IBT Education Department Coordinators Amy Ferguson and James Beeharilal assisted as Collective Bargaining Coaches for the Institute.

The daylong collective bargaining simulation was geared toward informing young people of the role of labor unions in a democratic society and the collective bargaining process as a problem solving strategy in the workplace. It began when students divided into union and management teams and caucused with their Collective Bargaining Coaches. They discussed the bargaining process, reviewed the collective bargaining case study, and developed proposals and strategies for the bargaining session.

The real fun began when Union and Management teams sat down at the bargaining table to negotiate. The students assumed their bargaining roles with such intensity that outside observers might mistake the simulation for true to life collective bargaining. Some groups were able to reach agreements by the end of the day, and some could not. A few groups had the opportunity to work with representatives from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to overcome impasse.

The day ended with a plenary session where each group told how negotiations went in their simulation and what they learned relevant to their future. Most of the students expressed surprise at having had so much fun while learning about a new topic.

Programs such as the Collective Bargaining Institute grant young people the opportunity to discover the labor movement and all it has to offer the world of work. Labor History and the role of labor unions are not included in core high school curriculum. Consequently, the labor community has taken on the challenge of reaching out to young people before they enter the workforce to inform them of their rights and their power.

The IBT Education Department works with educators and union leaders throughout the year to make a difference with young people. In the end, School-to-Work is about providing young people with opportunities and assisting them in the transition from school to the workplace and life-long learning.

Back to Project in the News