This booklet is part of a series of units designed to help students take and defend a position on public issues. The booklet is premised on the idea that the study of how various labor-related conflicts were resolved in the past can throw light on the problem of how they ought to be resolved here and now. That is why this particular unit looks at the history of organized labor rather than concentrating just on current labor-related issues. Terms are defined and questions for discussion are presented. The material stresses that the reason for discussing a public issue is not to win the argument, both to understand more clearly one's own views and the reasons that support them, as well as differing opinions. Students are encouraged to view questions as: (1) ethical or value questions; (2) questions of definition; and (3) questions involving facts and explanations. The document is divided into six sections. The first is an introduction that identifies the central issues of the unit and how they will be approached. The second discusses the nature of work from the beginnings of industry. Perspectives of three workers and a manager are compared. The third section, "Labor Organizes," gives an overview of the labor movement from 1840 to 1900, discusses problems faced by organizers, and describes the Pullman Strike of 1894. The fourth section discusses the relationship between the government and the unions from 1900 to 1940. This section ends with a description of the Battle at the Overpass, a violent encounter at Ford Motor Company in 1937. The fifth section presents an overview of labor from 1940 to the present, and the challenge that labor problems present to the government. The last section is a review. Each section contains exercises and discussion guides. In the accompanying teacher's guide the units use historical, fictional, and contemporary situations. They assist students in using a structured approach to issues analysis and in developing the skills of reasoned discussion. Teachers should view the materials provided as possible strategies for developing discussion of public issues, and should pick and choose among the materials according to their own goals. The guide provides section by section assignments and activities. An 11-item bibliography and handouts are included. (DK)