SCHOOL FOOD • TIMELINE
TIMELINE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
UNIONS
Like weekends? You can thank a union for that. 1 Labor unions engaged in massive strikes to
demand a shorter workweek.
A union is an organized group of workers in a field or industry, like teachers, actors, nurses,
government workers. There is a union for nearly every profession. They use their collective
bargaining power to make decisions about, and negotiate for, conditions that affect their work,
such as wages, benefits, and safety standards.
1. Do you know anyone (family members, friends, people at school) who are union members?
2. Have you heard about unions (family members, friends, the news)? If so, what have you
heard about them?
3. Membership in unions has declined since the 1950s. What do you think are some of the
implications of this decline in collective bargaining power?
BRACERO PROGRAM & OTHER WORKER PROGRAMS
The Bracero Program involved rules, such as: guaranteed payment of at least the prevailing
area wage received by native workers; employment for three-fourths of the contract period;
adequate, sanitary, and free housing; decent meals at reasonable prices; occupational insurance
at employer’s expense; and free transportation back to Mexico at the end of the contract. In
practice, these rules were rarely followed.
1. Why do you think the rules were rarely followed?
2. Do you think there are any parallels with the Bracero program and how migrant workers are
treated today?
3. What are some ways that workers can fight for their rights?
SCHOOL FOOD REGULATIONS
1. How do you think funding and regulations impact the food your school offers?
2. What are some of the nutrition guidelines your school has to follow?
3. What guidelines would you keep, and what guidelines would you change?