2008 Report of the President

Society Aims Efforts at Schools

Representative Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee), speaking at the Commemoration of the 122nd Anniversary of the Bay View Tragedy in May, 2008, asked:  “Why would we want to celebrate an incident at the rolling mills that took a mere seven people’s lives. . . in the 19th Century?”

She answered that question in her remarks at the annual gathering in Bay View. The event had meaning, she said, “so that we can say never again, never again in the world” as workers struggle to win their inherent rights to fair wages, good benefits, decent working conditions and justice.

Representative Moore’s comments summarize the mission of the Wisconsin Labor History Society:

  • to tell the public of the contributions of labor to the United States and Wisconsin ;
  • to get labor’s story into our schools and colleges and
  • to preserve the stories of workers and their unions.

In the last two years, the Society has focused much attention on getting labor’s message into Wisconsin schools, primarily from middle school through college.  Thanks to the support of a score of Wisconsin local unions and labor councils and the State AFL-CIO, the Society has been able to expand its activities in this area.

Labor History Essay Contest for High School Students.  Since its founding in 1981, the Society has held an essay contest for high school students, asking them to write on the subject:  “Unions are important to my family . . .”   Attractive cash prizes for up to eight winners, ranging from $500 to $100, have prompted hundreds of students to write, many on labor topics involving their family members or communities.

Labor Themes in National History Day.  Since 2006, the Society has provided an additional $1,000 in prizes for students who choose labor topics for their projects in the National History Day program of the Wisconsin Historical Society.  Winning projects, including photo exhibits, videos, scrapbooks and others, with a labor theme were awarded prizes of $50 to $100 in six regions of the state, plus the statewide finals.  Winners in 2008, for instance, highlighted such issues as child labor, the Allen-Bradley Strike of 1970 and the Allis-Chalmers Strike of 1946-47.  As a result, youngsters throughout the state have been encouraged to look to labor as potential topics.

The Curriculum Committee.  In a major step, the WLHS Board in 2009 also formed a Curriculum Committee which has met twice to form the outline of the Society’s effort to provide ready materials to assist in the teaching of labor history in the schools.  The committee consisted of two board members, Steve Meyer, professor of history at UW-Milwaukee, and Jim Lorence, emeritus professor of history at UW-Marathon County, and two teachers, Jim Grinsel of Wausau, and Tom Sobottke (a former board member), of Pewaukee.  Ken Germanson, Board president, joined in the meetings.

The committee has decided to update existing Lessons in Labor History materials rather in such a way as to make them more accessible to modern social studies teachers and to students.

The committee concluded that the best approach to updating the materials would be to make the WLHS website the gateway to a variety of resources, images, texts, discussion questions, and the many websites available at this time.   The objective will be to have the WLHS website provide links to these additional materials, so that teachers and students may move easily from the site to other internet destinations where teaching materials may be accessed.

The committee further determined that an important issue for WLHS will be the effort to find a way to attract teachers to the WLHS website as the portal to teaching materials on Wisconsin Labor History, as well as the broader field of labor history in general.   Among the suggestions were

  • To use existing technical means of enhancing the WLHS website as an internet destination.
  • Contacting librarians at secondary schools, who are often interested in identifying entry points for accessing texts, images, and resources.
  • Getting the DPI to send interested teachers to the WLHS website as port of entry.

The first step will be to prepare a sample lesson plan in the new format.  Also efforts will be made to improve the website, making it more attractive and accessible.  The work has begun on preparing the lesson plan, and should be made available by mid-summer 2009. (A full copy of the minutes of the July meeting is attached.)

Labor History in Schools Legislation. The Society continued its efforts, in conjunction with labor unions throughout the state and the active work of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, to seek legislation to require the teaching of labor history in the schools of Wisconsin .  It appears that in the recently convened State Legislature that this effort may finally bear fruit; in the last week of April 2009, the Assembly voted to place the teaching of labor history within the model standards for social studies.  It’s a strong bill, that if passed by the State Senate and signed into law, will give great importance to the work of our Curriculum Committee.

Other activities during 2008 were:

  • The 27h Annual Meeting of the Society was held April 26 at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Golda Meir Library, on a theme of “Immigration, Unions and Workers: An Historical Perspective.” Some 80 attended in a discussion that showed that Wisconsin historically has been the home for various waves of immigrants, from the Yankees who moved into the territory of Wisconsin in the early 1800s, to the Germans who framed much of Milwaukee’s early character, to the Pole and Finns and Italians and others, all of whom brought their own skills and helped mark the state.  Today’s new immigrants from Mexico and Puerto Rico and Southwest Asia bring similar potential the speakers noted, and offer new strengths to the state.
  • More than 200 attended the 122nd Commemoration of Bay View Tragedy on May 4, 2008. Rep. Gwen Moore (Democrat-Milwaukee) was principal speaker, and noted that history tells us never to repeat such a bloody violation of worker rights as occurred on May 5, 1886 with the killing of seven persons by the State Militia who fired upon a crowd of workers marching on behalf of the eight-hour-day. This event has become a tradition, having been held annually since 1986 under the sponsorship of the Society with planning done by a committee of interested persons.
  • Six Wisconsin high school students were awarded prizes ranging from $500 to $100 for winning essays on labor history, in a continuance of the Society’s annual contest for high school students. This annual effort spurs interest throughout the state in labor history, and particularly focuses upon the contributions that unions have made to families in the state.  Harvey Kaye, longtime WLHS Board member, leads this effort, with assistance from other members.
  • The Society made a contribution of $1,000 for recognition awards for labor history topics that were made by Wisconsin children in National History Day events throughout state. This was the third time the Society took part in the NHD events; the interest that students took in labor projects has been encouraging and the WLHS Board has plans to continue working on the project again in 2008. Student projects depicted labor or working people themes on all regions of the state. Jack Jentz, a Board member, took over direction of this effort, and many of our Board members took time to participate in judging the regional and state programs.
  • The Frank P. Zeidler Legacy Scholarship of $500 was awarded to Joel Feingold, of Janesville, for his undergraduate essay on “Red (White and Blue): Communism, Finnishness and America in the Upper Midwest , 1907-1940.” Feingold attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison , where he has been active in various worker rights groups, such as the United Students Against Sweat Shops and the Labor Action Coalition.  The Award was given in the undergraduate category for original research in the area of Wisconsin labor and working-class history. Vice President Laurie Wermter has been the inspiration for this project and has been leading it.  Awards are available each year in both graduate levels (for $1,000) and undergraduate levels ($500) for any entries that meet the standards.
  • Four newsletters were published, carrying the full texts of the winning high school essays, full reports on the conference activities, the Bay View Tragedy event and other information. Carmen Clark of Madison has assisted in editing the newsletters on a volunteer basis.
  • The Website has been upgraded and is up-dated regularly. (The website link is http://www.wisconsinlaborhistory.org.)
  • The Society set up exhibit tables at the annual Wisconsin Education Association Council annual conference in October in Milwaukee , staffed by volunteers, including Joyce and Jim Reiland, Paul Cigler Jr. and Ken Germanson.

The Society’s membership has remained stable with some 150 individual dues-paying members and some 60 organizational memberships. Our dues payments continue to be the single most important source of revenue.

The activities and success of the organization could not have been possible without the generous contributions or time and effort on the part of our members, whose volunteer activities are most appreciated.  A special word of thanks must go to our Board Members, all of whom continue to actively support the organization in many ways; their participation in our three regular board meetings is high, in spite of the need for many to travel.  In addition, each member has contributed their time and effort in various activities of the Society.

It is through the participation of so many of our supporters that helps to make it possible for us to continue our work to preserve and promote the story of the Wisconsin workers and their unions. – Respectfully submitted, Kenneth A. Germanson, President, May 9, 2009.