Lesson Suggestions:
- Students may interview a family member or friend who is a part of a union and ask them about it.
- Students may research unions in Canada and what they are about.
- Students may read this page and answer questions from worksheet lesson 6.
- Ask students to research other strikes that took place in the early 20th century.
Main concepts:
- What is a labour union or union and what do they do?
- How did strikes impact workers and unions?
For Students:
What is a Labour Union?
Unions are organizations that help employers involved. They unite to discuss things like wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions that are best for the workers. The workers come together to protect their working rights and pay. These unions didn't always exist. Workers had to go on strike to fight for better rights in their work lives.
Doing chores around the house is not fun although the allowance you get might make doing chores worth it. What if you were made to do chores from the time you woke up until you went to bed and received a very little allowance? How would that make you feel? What if you and your friends could form a group to choose what chores you wanted to do and the amount you get paid for each chore? This is similar to how labour unions began over a century ago.
Doing chores around the house is not fun although the allowance you get might make doing chores worth it. What if you were made to do chores from the time you woke up until you went to bed and received a very little allowance? How would that make you feel? What if you and your friends could form a group to choose what chores you wanted to do and the amount you get paid for each chore? This is similar to how labour unions began over a century ago.
We just learned about working conditions that were not always the greatest for workers. These caused the working class to go on strikes throughout the early 20th century and to create unions that benefitted workers.
Before you continue reading, write in your worksheet about what you predict will be the outcome of the strike. Answer the first two questions before you continue!
Before you continue reading, write in your worksheet about what you predict will be the outcome of the strike. Answer the first two questions before you continue!