Unions: The best weapon against the Rich

Can we just take a moment to talk about Unions and how much we need them? Can we take a moment and just talk about the sheer amount anti-union propaganda? People keep saying you don’t deserve more money for the job you do, the job they don’t want to do. This is because of the years of propaganda that has disgraced workers and furthered the divide between the middle class and those living in…

Bernie Sanders thinks federal workers should be able to strike; would repeal private-sector state-level ‘right to work’ laws

By Jon Dougherty

(NationalSentinel) Perhaps feeling like his second bid to become the Democratic presidential nominee is slipping away once more, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is moving hard Left in an effort to salvage his campaign.

Earlier this week Sanders proposed his own multi-trillion-dollar ‘green new deal’ plan — an unaffordable $16 trillion climate boondogglehe claims will pay for itself…

Then there were two. In this current effort, this blog has been, in real time, reporting on the development of a unit of study.  The unit is for an American government course.  It is the last unit of the course and designed to be presented over two weeks of instruction.  The topic of the unit is foreign trade and how that trade has affected the availability of jobs in the US.  This posting will present the plans for the ninth lesson.  This is the penultimate lesson of the unit.

         To this point students have been preparing to engage in one of two debates.  In this day’s lesson, students conduct the first of the two debates.  The debates are over whether the students’ state government should engage in one of two activities that are meant to lure manufacturing jobs to the state’s economy.  The first activity (in the form of a proposal), and the one this lesson will debate, is:

The government of this state should rely on a “right-to-work” status the state either currently has or should begin the process to attain (changing its laws to acquire the status) to lure manufacturing activity to the state.

The exact wording of the proposal might vary from this initial expression in that it would be subject to a negotiated point of stasis.[1]

         Before getting to the lesson plan, the developer wants to focus on the role of the interrogators.  The reader is reminded that there are three participating roles in a debate: affirmative debaters, negative debaters, and interrogators.  The roles of affirmative debaters and negative debaters is straight forward: one side argues for the proposal and other argues against the proposal.  The interrogators, on the other hand, fill several functions.

They ask questions of the debaters, they judge the debate to determine the winner, they provide a rationale for their decision, and, in the case of this debate, they are to write a letter to a chosen public figure to advocate the winning position of the debate. The developer suggests that that figure be the governor of the state.  This will constitute the action component in this unit.[2]

LESSON ON DEBATING QUESTION ONE:  SHOULD A STATE UTILIZE A RIGHT-TO-WORK STATUS?

Objective:  Given the instructional content of this unit of study, the student will viably fulfill his/her role in a debate.  This activity is to be evaluated by the ability of the student to synthesize and logically apply the information the unit presented to the proposal under debate.

Lesson steps:

         Pre-lesson.  The teacher arranges the seats of the classroom in a suitable configuration.  The arrangement should allow the two debate teams to be in the front of the class in the form of a panel arrangement with a gap between the two teams.  A third panel arrangement, facing the debaters, is set up for the interrogators. The rest of the class take up the rest of the class space, behind the interrogators.

(Same day)

1.     Teacher reminds students that the class period is to have the first of two debates.  He/she points out why the seats are as they are and asks the students to take the appropriate seats given their role in the debate.  As this is taking place, the teacher takes role and handles other administrative items.  (five minutes)

2.     The teacher states, for the benefit of the class, the final version of the debate proposal.  Also, the teacher points out that the debate is not really an opportunity for back and forth arguments – previous class discussions gave students ample opportunity for that.  Time is “short” and students’ presentations need to be to the point and that is all. (moments)

3.     The affirmative makes its initial argument. (eight minutes)

4.     The negative makes its initial argument. (eight minutes)

5.     The interrogators meet to decide what questions they will ask of which side and in what order.  (three minutes)

6.     Interrogators ask their questions and affirmative or negative debaters either answer the question or take it for further consideration. (seven minutes)

7.     Both debate side members meet within their group and decide final rebuttal statements.  (five minutes)

8.     Negative side make their final statement by one or two of their members.  (five minutes)

9.     Affirmative make their final statement by one or two of their members.  (five minutes)

10. Interrogators meet and decide which side wins and formulate a rationale for their decision.  (five minutes)

11. Simultaneous to #10, members of both debating sides meet within their group to organize the contents of a letter to a public figure.

12. Interrogators announce the winning side and the reasons for their decision. (three minutes)

13. Teacher tells students, the participants of the day’s debate, that as their assignment for the next period is to finish their letters. The interrogators are to convert the content of their rationale into letter form and address it to the public figure identified earlier.  (one minute)

Post-script:  As indicated by the time allotments, time is tight and the activity needs to be conscious of this fact.  In that vein, experience might indicate that this activity needs to be over two days.  If so, the teacher can eliminate one of the previous lessons or limit the plan to only one debate (choose which proposal he/she wants to “do”) to be done over two class periods.

Assignment:

Students, who participated in the day’s debate, within their groups, finish the letter that advocates the position of their group.

         Then, there is one…

[1] Point of stasis is a negotiated statement that both sides agree to debate.  This usually is a more nuanced statement then is initially provided by the sponsor of the debate and allows the debate to avoid debating upon what is already agreed.

Why Are Unions Against the Right-to-Work? I believe every citizen deserves the right to work and the right to organize and I don’t believe these rights should be mutually exclusive. 

Why Are Unions Against the Right-to-Work?

Why Are Unions Against the Right-to-Work?   I come from a union family.  I grew up in a union home.  The good pay and benefits gained by one of America’s greatest unions provided for my room and board every day that I lived at home.  My father and my uncles were all proud union members.  My brother and some of my best friends spent their entire careers as…