Workers’ Rights & the Matchwomen of London’s East End
The tension between labor and management has a long history in the United States. Workers have formed unions to protect their rights, fight for higher wages, job security, and benefits including sick time, vacation, and pensions and retirement plans; however, the salaries of lower earning workers compared to the salaries of CEOs continues to widen. A 2022 study from Institute for Policy Studies examined the salaries in 300 American companies and found that on average, CEOs earned $10.6 million, while the median worker received less than $24,000. This wage gap is 670 to 1.
In recent years, workers at large American corporations like Amazon and Starbucks have attempted to unionize, asserting that joining a union will help them negotiate for better working conditions and higher wages. In many cases, these workers have alleged that their employers have violated their rights. But what rights do we have in the workplace? And why is it important for workers to know these rights?
In Strike!: Workers’ Rights & the Matchwomen of London’s East End, students have the opportunity to learn about their rights as workers, as well as an historical struggle by workers in Victorian London. They will also learn about the importance of solidarity.
GUIDING QUESTIONS:
What rights do workers have in the United States?
What actions can workers take to promote and protect their rights?
What is solidarity? What does solidarity look like?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
Understand their rights as workers in the United States
Make connections between historical and contemporary labor organizing
Understand how workers can organize and create a labor union
Express solidarity with workers fighting for their rights