Student Vocabulary Sheet

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Key Terms

Study these terms as you go through the lessons. You'll use them in the discussion and the exit quiz.

Union

A group of workers who join together to have a collective voice on the job.

Solidarity

Standing together as workers; “an injury to one is an injury to all.”

Collective Bargaining

The process where a union negotiates wages and conditions with an employer as equals.

Contract (CBA)

The written agreement won through bargaining — covers pay, benefits, safety, and fair treatment.

Grievance

A formal complaint a worker files when the contract is violated.

Strike

A collective work stoppage used as leverage when negotiations fail.

Picket Line

Workers demonstrating outside a workplace during a labor dispute.

Apprenticeship

A paid “earn while you learn” program combining on-the-job training with instruction.

Eight-Hour Day

The historic demand for a limited workday — central to the 1886 movement.

Haymarket Affair

The 1886 Chicago event tied to the eight-hour-day fight; the origin of May Day.

AFL

The American Federation of Labor, an early national union federation (founded 1886).

Wagner Act (1935)

The law that made it legal for workers to organize and bargain collectively.

Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)

Created the minimum wage and 40-hour week and outlawed the worst child labor.

Minimum Wage

The lowest hourly pay allowed by law — a labor-movement win.

Overtime

Extra pay required for hours worked beyond the standard week — a union win.

“I AM A MAN”

The 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike slogan demanding dignity and respect.

Your Turn: Fill in the Blank

Use the terms above to complete each sentence.

1. When a union negotiates wages and conditions with an employer, it is called ______________________.
2. The single word that captures the core value of unionism is ______________________.
3. The 1938 ______________________ created the minimum wage and the 40-hour week.
4. A paid “earn while you learn” program is called an ______________________.
5. The 1968 Memphis sanitation workers carried signs reading ______________________.

Memphis & West Tennessee Central Labor Council