This is a great primer on the importance of unions to day and the detrimental effects of the decline of union in the United States over the past 40 years.
You can download this book in English at cft.org.
It is also available in Spanish from the UC Berkely Labor Center.
We have included comprehension questions at the end of the book.
“Introduction”
- What were some of the dangerous and unfair working conditions car wash workers faced in California?
- What improvements in working conditions did car wash workers gain by unionizing and winning a contract?
“What is a Union?”
1. What are some of the improvements to workers’ lives that unions fight for?
2. Who was César Chavez? What work did he undertake?
“How Do Workers Organize?”
- Describe the process of starting a union in a workplace?
“Labor History”
- List some important victories in the history of unions in America.
“The Union Advantage”
- What advantages do unionized workers have over non-unionized workers?
“The Meaning of Labor’s Decline for Working People”
- How has the decline in the number of union members in the United States affected the lives of working people?
“The Need for Unions: Now More Than Ever”
- What are some of the reasons that unions are more important to working people than ever before?
