In These Times is at a crossroads and we urgently need your support. Will you help us raise $50,000 by the end of the week?
So ITT may or may not reach Dave Hansen's Green Bay home, but we're on the same page nontheless.
The three Rs would be joined by mandatory instruction on collective bargaining and the history of unions in America under a proposal being considered in the Wisconsin Legislature.
Labor unions are all for it. School groups aren't.
The bill, by Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, would require every school board to incorporate the history of organized labor and the collective bargaining process into its curriculum.
A few months back, I wrote about the need for such a policy, so I hope this moves forward. The critiques from a Republican aide are pretty weak.
"We could do organized labor today and the history of the Republican Party tomorrow," Murray said. "In a time when we're having trouble teaching our kids the basic of history, is this really the time to be putting another mandate on when we're not even doing the current stuff well?"
For one, labor is not a partisan issue. It's an issue central to American life that few have taken the time to teach. And secondly, labor can be woven into lots of academic subjects without sacrificing other content. It's not a zero-sum game, it just takes some creativity. Way to demonize your teachers and students, though.
In These Times is only able to publish the fierce, deeply-reported articles we do because of readers like you who contribute a few dollars each month to keep us independent.
If you donate just $5/month or more right now, you'll get a free annual subscription and your support will be felt throughout the newsroom.
Will you support us now? Our goal is to raise $50,000 by the end of the week.
Adam Doster, a contributing editor at In These Times, is a Chicago-based freelance writer and former reporter-blogger for Progress Illinois.
