Workers built America, and how they are treated affects every family. This badge explores what workers care about, how unions and companies work together or disagree, and how jobs are changing in a global economy. It helps you think about the kind of work life you want someday.
Why it's worth it
Weekends, safety goggles, and minimum wage didn't just appear. People argued, organized, and negotiated for them. American Labor shows you how workers and employers have worked out what's fair, sometimes as partners and sometimes as opponents. You'll learn to hear more than one side of a hard question, which helps on any team, and you'll know your own rights before you start your first job.
Start this week
- At dinner, ask two adults in your life what matters most to them about their work, and write down their answers.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of an American Labor counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Check the labels on five things you own, like shoes, a phone, and a backpack, and list the countries where they were made for requirement 6.
- Ask family and friends whether anyone belongs to a union or worker association who might help you arrange the visit for requirement 2.
Requirements · 9
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Learn about working people and job-related issues, then list at least 8 concerns of American workers with a short description or example of each (e.g., safety, hours, wages, job security, discrimination, automation, layoffs, outsourcing, benefits)
Tip: Ask a few adults what matters most to them at work, like pay, safety, or time with family. Look for patterns in their answers.
For example: Major concerns could include fair pay, safe workplaces, health insurance, steady hours, time off for family, and jobs being replaced by machines. For each, give a real example, like a warehouse worker worried about lifting injuries.
- Requirement 2
With approval and permission from your counselor and a parent or guardian, visit a local union, central labor council, or employee organization (or attend its meeting, or contact it online), then do 2a–2c
Tip: Ask a family member or neighbor if they belong to a union or worker group. With a parent, arrange a visit or meeting to learn how it runs.
- Requirement 2a
Learn what the organization does
- Requirement 2b
Show them your list of concerns from requirement 1 and ask which issues matter most to them and why
- Requirement 2c
Draw a diagram of how the organization is set up, from local to national level if it applies
- Requirement 3
Tell your counselor what a labor union is, what it does, and how it serves members, showing you understand these terms: labor, management, collective bargaining, negotiation, union shop, open shop, grievance procedure, mediation, arbitration, strike, lockout, work stoppage
Tip: Make a simple list of services a union provides, then ask a union member which ones matter most to them.
- Requirement 4
Explain the adversarial model of labor-management relations and how it compares with a cooperative bargaining approach
Tip: Think of a sports team: sometimes players and owners argue, sometimes they work as partners. Compare that to workplaces you learn about.
For example: Compare two kinds of relationships: in one, a company and union negotiate hard and a strike follows; in another, workers and managers meet monthly to solve safety problems together. Explain what each side gains and risks.
- Requirement 5
Labor history project. Choose 1 of 4
Tips for this section: A timeline on poster board or a short slideshow is a good way to show key events. The library can help you find books on labor history.
Example for this section: Build a timeline with eight to ten events, like the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the first Labor Day, and the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. Add one sentence on why each one still matters.
- Requirement 5a
Make a time line of key events in American labor movement history from the 1770s to today
- Requirement 5b
Make an exhibit, scrapbook, or computer presentation (like a slide show) showing three major labor movement achievements and how they affect American workers
- Requirement 5c
With approval and permission from your counselor and a parent or guardian, watch a movie about organized labor in the U.S., then talk it over with your counselor and share what it taught you
- Requirement 5d
With counselor approval, read a biography of someone who contributed to the American labor movement and explain what their contribution was
- Requirement 6
Explain what globalization means, discuss with your counselor some of its effects on U.S. workers, and explain how the global workforce fits into the U.S. economic system
Tip: Check labels on your clothes and electronics to see where they were made. Talk about how that connects to jobs here.
For example: Follow one product, like a pair of sneakers, from design to factory to store. Show which jobs happen here and which happen overseas, then discuss one way that helps and one way it hurts American workers.
- Requirement 7
Pick a labor issue that concerns many American workers (from the news or from this badge); argue it to your counselor or in writing first from management's side, then from labor's, and sum up the basic rights and duties of employers, union members, and nonunion employees
Tip: Pick an issue in the news and write down how a worker, a manager, and a customer might each see it.
For example: Pick a current issue, like raising the minimum wage or self-checkout machines, and write a short paragraph from each viewpoint: a worker, a business owner, a customer, and an elected official.
- Requirement 8
Discuss with your counselor the different goals of a business's owners, stockholders, customers, employees, employee representatives, community, and public officials; explain why they reach agreements and compromises and how those affect each group
Tip: Imagine a pizza shop and list what the owner, an investor, a customer, and a cook each want. Notice where those goals clash or line up.
For example: Use a bakery chain: owners want growth, stockholders want returns, customers want low prices and fresh bread, and employees want fair pay and good hours. Show where those goals line up and where they pull apart.
- Requirement 9
Learn about labor relations careers; pick one that interests you and discuss with your counselor its main duties and the qualifications, education, and training it needs
Tip: Look up jobs like mediator, labor lawyer, or human resources specialist, and ask someone in the field about their work.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A union hall or apprenticeship training center
You can see how members vote, train, and get help, and many building-trades unions run hands-on apprentice programs.
How: Have a parent or your counselor call and ask for the business agent or training coordinator to arrange a short visit for a small group of Scouts.
A workplace with an employee safety committee
Seeing workers and managers solve problems together shows what cooperative labor relations look like in real life.
How: Ask a family member if their employer would host a short visit. An adult arranges it and goes with you.
Where it can lead
- Labor relations specialistHelps write and interpret contracts between workers and employers.
- MediatorA neutral person who helps two sides reach an agreement when talks get stuck.
- Union organizer or representativeSpeaks for workers in meetings with management and helps members with problems.
- Workplace safety inspectorChecks that job sites follow safety rules; some start in a trade, others with a degree.
- Labor and employment lawyerRepresents workers or companies in disputes over wages, safety, and fairness.
Ask yourself
- What do you want most from a job someday: money, meaning, safety, free time, or something else?
- Which side of a labor issue was hardest for you to understand, and what helped?
- What changed in how you see the people who make, deliver, and sell the things you use?
- What's one right you have as a young worker that you didn't know about before?
- How could you use what you learned about negotiating in your patrol or your family?
Good questions to ask a union representative or human resources manager
- What's a problem at work you helped solve, and how did both sides reach an agreement?
- What do workers today worry about that they didn't 20 years ago?
- How do you prepare for a negotiation?
- What should a teenager know before starting a first job?
- How do you think technology will change jobs in the next ten years?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Help scouts find balanced sources so they hear both labor and management viewpoints.
- Connect scouts with family members in different jobs who can share their experiences.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- U.S. Department of Labor (opens in a new tab) — Facts on workers, wages, and labor laws.
- AFL-CIO (opens in a new tab) — A large federation of unions with information on labor history.
- Public library — Biographies and histories of American workers and labor leaders.
- National Labor Relations Board (opens in a new tab) — The federal agency that protects workers' rights to organize and handles disputes.
- Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (opens in a new tab) — How trained mediators help unions and companies settle disagreements.
- OSHA (opens in a new tab) — Workplace safety rules and how they protect workers, including young workers.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.