The Battle of the Overpass and its Lasting Impact on Labor History

 

Brandon J. Sethi

AHTC Lesson Plan

National Archives and Records Administration

Great Lakes Region (Chicago)

 

To download this lesson in PDF format, click here.  

Day 2:  Students will look at union busting techniques used in the Ford plants.  The lesson ends with looking at an article from the Onion Newspaper, a satirical news source and a new touch on union busting.

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. Why is there conflict between the corporations and the everyday workers?  How does that conflict get resolved?
  2.  What is the purpose of a union?  What are different arguments for and against unionization? 

 

Assessment:

 

  1. Discussion regarding the article from The Onion will provide students with an opportunity to prove learning occurred.
  2. Students will be able to successfully complete a Venn Diagram

 

Setting the Purpose:

 

Today students will be examining a series of documents demonstrating the difficulty of workers and therefore the absolute necessarily of the Wagner Act. 

 

-  Journal:  Why is there strength in numbers?  Also, is there always strength in numbers?

-  Read documents about the Ford Brotherhood of America and their recruiting techniques.  Students will conduct a primary document analysis with these pictures that will be printed out and accompanied with typed text so that they know what the picture says in case the print is inadequate.

-  Introduce Discharge.1 and discuss why the worker was fired.

-  Discuss who FordÕs leader was in regards to union busting and read documents Ford.1-3 and gang1-2.  Provide students with time to draw the scene depicted in gang1-2 about the vigilante group operating in the Ford plant. 

-  With remaining time, distribute the article from the satirical newspaper ÔThe OnionÕ, read as a class and discuss the points the article is making in regards to union busting.  Students will then fill out a Venn diagram comparing the Onion article and how the workersÕ potential union is busted in comparison with the tools Ford used to bust up unions. 

 

Analysis of Local Primary Sources:

 

-  The Ford Brotherhood of America – Motion to Intervene

-  Evidence from trial on reasons for discharge from the Ford Motor Co.

-  Trial testimony on union busting strategies

-  Documents from Ford requesting Ôspecial police officersÕ to be named and supervised by Ford with the same powers as a normal police officer. 

 

Ties to National Primacy Sources or Sources:

 

-  None for this day although the Wagner Act will continue to receive mention throughout the week. 

 

Annotated List of Materials and Resources:

 

-  Discharge.1– NARA Document (Evidence submitted in court case demonstrating a worker was fired for joining the union).

-  The Onion Article

-  Questions and points to consider for Onion article

-  Venn Diagram

-  Ford.1-3 – NARA Document

-  Gang.1-2 – NARA Document