Labor Scores Long-Sought History Victory in Wisconsin Schools

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5125/labor_scores_long-sought_history_victory_in_wisconsin_schools/

Monday November 2 7:27 pm

By Jeremy Gantz

Exasperated organized labor stalwarts like to remind America that trade unionists are "the people who brought you the weekend"—or the 40-hour work week, or the minimum wage, or, well, Labor Day.

Trouble is, most people don't remember how crucial labor was in pushing Depression-era politicians to codify the basic features of American working life we now take for granted. Either they don't know any labor history buffs, or they never learned about workers' struggles in school.



That could soon change in Wisconsin, if Democratic Governor Jim Doyle signs a bill requiring the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction to include the history of organized labor and the collective bargaining process in state social studies standards. Teachers draw on those standards as they prepare students for standardized tests.

Doyle has said he will sign the law. The measure passed the Wisconsin Senate on October 27, supported by all Democrats and three Republicans; it had already passed the state's assembly.

While the law does not mandate that labor history be taught in schools, its presence in state standards means some schools will likely teach the subject, and that the state will provide assistance to schools that do.

Ken Germanson, president emeritus of the Wisconsin Labor History Society (WLHS) and a longtime advocate for the law, said: "Our sons and daughters deserve to know that the fruits of our labor were not handed down to us by those in power but rather won by the efforts of extraordinary people who sacrificed to produce a better life for all of us."

FULL story at link.