Labor History Month
Attention High School Teachers: New law protects working students
AB 800 signed into law by Gavin Newsom on September 30, 2023
AB 800 (Ortega), signed into law by Gavin Newsom on September
30, 2023, is an important
breakthrough for the protection of your students on the job
against injury, wage theft and other violations of their rights.
AB 800 mandates a week of “appropriate educational exercises” for all 11th and 12th grade students in the state (public and charter) “that make pupils aware of the role that the labor movement has played in shaping California and the United States.”
Labor History Displays Available for Loan
Stunning exhibits portray California labor history
Ten different labor history displays are available for use during Labor History Month or other times. All exhibits may be combined with video screenings. Below are brief descriptions of the exhibits with information about how to obtain them.
Labor History Month celebrates worker milestones, heroes
Each year one month finds creative activities by teachers and students celebrating the mostly unsung history of the labor movement. May is Labor History Month in California, as declared in AB 2269 (Swanson, D-Oakland) and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012. Exhibits, classroom lessons, in-services and sometimes entire schools explore the rich history of collective struggle that brought us worker rights on the job and better lives for families in our communities.