This course examines the law governing the mechanisms and roles for private-sector employees to have a say, collectively, over the terms and conditions of their work, and employer obligations and entitlements within that framework. Through an examination of the National Labor Relations Act, and administration of the Act by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and federal courts, the course focuses on the life cycle of worker organizing/unionization. The course will begin with workers’ initial attempts to come together and decide to act, progress through organizing drives, prohibited “unfair labor practices,” strikes and other forms of collective action, and the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements.

The course will review the historical evolution of labor law in the United States so the class can consider what policy choices are reflected by labor law in its current incarnation. The course will examine what employers, workers, and unions have focused on and prioritized in the last several decades, either to make the law work in their favor or to seek ways outside of existing legal processes to pursue their interests. The course considers some of the most difficult, challenging problems facing labor law practitioners and their clients and workers seeking a voice on the job, including current efforts to dismantle the NLRB as we know it. The relationships among workplace conditions, the current crisis of democracy, and economic and racial inequality will be a thread throughout the course. Prior knowledge of the subject is not required; the intersection with employment law topics will be flagged to the degree feasible.

Recommended for the following Professional Pathways: Government/Public Sector; Labor and Employment; Media, Entertainment, Sports, Fashion; Corporate Transactions and Governance; International Business; Labor and Employment (Corporate Perspective); General Practice – Litigation/Dispute Resolution

2 Credits