An Act Relative to the History of Working People

An Act Relative to the History of Working People

Bill Numbers: SB200 and HB1940

Lead Sponsors: Senator Ken Donnelly and Representative James O’Day

What the bill does: Amends section Section 1D of Chapter 69 of M.G.L. to reinstate labor history as a mandatory subject matter for our public schools’ curriculum.

Why the bill is needed:

·        The history of working people and the labor movement has largely been ignored in our school systems—textbooks only barely mention the contributions that workers and their unions have made to our nation and our Commonwealth.

·        Trade unions in Massachusetts have had great influence on our way of life— including helping to secure the 8-hour workday, weekends, child labor laws, safe and healthy working conditions, living and minimum wages, vacations and holidays, Social Security and Medicare, unemployment and workers compensation, civil rights, voting rights, public education, and many other important rights. 

·        Unions and the workers who formed them are an integral and esteemed part of Massachusetts’ heritage.  Some of that history includes:the first labor strike for a 10-hour workday was by Boston carpenters; Massachusetts was the first state to pass a child labor law, a law that limited the workday to ten hours for all females and for males under age eighteen, and a law establishing a minimum wage for women and minors; Massachusetts led the way with creation of both the first professional teachers association and first state labor bureau; action taken by Massachusetts trade unions led to the first governmental investigation into working conditions, and the Bread and Roses strike in Lowell led to the bill that created the Department of Labor. 

·        Coursework that focuses on our labor heritage and the contributions of ordinary men and women in securing worker and civil rights will help place these events in the context of our country’s other social movements, instill a sense of pride in Massachusetts students, and help them to appreciate the struggles made by people who have come before them.

·        Studying the role of working people and unions in the US economy can also contribute to student understanding of development of the middle class and the changing trends in the US workforce.  While focus has always been given to study of the industrial revolution and corporate leadership within it, including the history of working people in student curriculum will add an important dimension to context and understanding of these events.

Please support SB200/HB1940!

Please contact Mass. AFL-CIO Legislative and Communications Director Tim Sullivan at (781) 324-8230 or tsullivan@massaflcio.orgwith any questions or for more information.