by James Parks, May 10, 2008

More than 200 high school seniors received scholarships from the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

Higher education is no longer a far off dream parents once had for their children but a necessity in today’s economy—and an expensive necessity at that. Recent studies show workers with a college degree earn 45 percent more than those with a high school diploma. Yet college tuition costs are at an all-time high, making it harder for working families to afford it.  

The union movement has historically been a strong supporter of educating workers to create a better life for themselves, their families and communities. Many unions, state federations and central local bodies and labor groups sponsor scholarship programs, including Union Privilege. Click here to learn more about Union Privilege’s scholarship program.

The union movement also created the National Labor College, the nation’s only accredited institution of higher learning dedicated to educating union members.

One of the biggest union scholarship programs just celebrated two major milestones. For 50 years, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO has supported working people’s efforts to attain a decent quality of life by offering a scholarship program for graduating high school seniors to help them afford the higher education that will allow them to be successful. In honor of the program’s golden anniversary, the state federation, affiliated unions, central labor councils and other union groups awarded 564 scholarships totaling a whopping $1 million at its annual banquet last weekend. (See video.)

In the past nine years, the program has awarded scholarships worth $7.3 million to help thousands of students attend college. Says state federation President Robert Haynes:

The Massachusetts AFL-CIO believes that everyone should be able to further their education regardless of finances. We are proud to play a role in enabling our young people to pursue higher education so that they can attain for themselves and their families the same quality of life that my generation and prior generations enjoyed.

We don’t often hear about the great things organized labor does in our communities. The Scholarship Program has been building for a half-century, helping countless young people not only learn about the labor movement but access the higher education that allows them to attain the good jobs with good wages and working conditions that have been the very hallmark of our great labor movement.

To qualify for the scholarships, more than 1,200 students in eight states took a challenging exam administered at their schools. In order to prepare for the exam, students must read a study guide and learn about the union movement, its contributions to American history and its impact on the American economy, society and quality of life.

Click here to learn more about the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship Program..

Last year, the AFL-CIO Executive Council approved a statement calling for expanded access to higher education. The council noted that on average, college graduates leave with a diploma and debts ranging from $15,000 to $24,000 as college costs have soared and local and state aid to college and universities has been eroded by inflation. The Executive Council says the AFL-CIO and its unions will lead a national effort to ensure students a diverse range of affordable, excellent higher education opportunities for all.

Print This Article | E-Mail This Article | Comments (0)