Collective Bargaining Education Project Director Linda Tubach, left, with CBI graduates.

On December 8, 2008 the 17th Annual Collective Bargaining Institute convened at United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) headquarters. The institute welcomed one hundred students from area high schools, including Miguel Contreras High, Fairfax, Lincoln, and San Pedro, among others. Students participated in mock collective bargaining sessions coached by seasoned union negotiators. At day’s end, a few students decided to start negotiation clubs at their schools to reinforce and pass on their acquired skills.

This year’s event also included thirty-three elementary students from Soto Street Elementary, who participated in “The Yummy Strawberry Co.” curriculum. Students got a feel for organizing and negotiating by making and selling “Yummy Chocolate-Covered Strawberries” to the high school students, teachers, and coaches. When the “boss” demanded tougher work rules for lower pay, the kids went on strike until the boss improved conditions and doubled wages from fifty cents to a dollar.

The event is cosponsored by the UCLA Labor Center, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the Dolores Huerta Labor Institute, and UTLA.