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Schedule

Note: All due dates reflect North American eastern time (ET).

 

  • Course Length: 16 weeks
Lesson 1: Contemporary Labor and Employment Relations

Readings:
  • Getting Started Lesson
  • Lesson 1 Commentary
  • Textbook
    • Chapter 1

Activities:
  • Lesson 1 Discussion
Lesson 2: Understanding Labor Unions

Readings:
  • Lesson 2 Commentary
  • Library Resources
    • Chapter 2

Activities:
  • Lesson 1 & 2 Quiz
Lesson 3: Labor History

Readings:
  • Lesson 3 Commentary
  • Textbook
    • Chapter 2
  • Library Resources

Activities:
  • Lesson 3 Individual Essay
Lesson 4: Labor Law

Readings:
  • Lesson 4 Commentary
  • Textbook
    • Chapter 3

Activities:
  • Lesson 4 Discussion
Lesson 5: Key Participants in the Labor Relations Process

Readings:
  • Lesson 5 Commentary
  • Textbook
    • Chapter 4

Activities:
  • Lesson 5 Quiz
  • Lesson 5 Individual Essay
Lesson 6: Union Organizing

Readings:
  • Lesson 6 Commentary
  • Textbook
    • Chapter 5
  • Other Readings
    • NLRB Representation Case-Procedures Fact Sheet
    • Brooks, C. (2019, May 31). As VW Election Nears, CEO Stokes Fears over Plant Closing from 1988
    • Purdie, C. and Rhollans, J. (2016, April 26). Union Communication Guidance: TIPS and FOE.

Activities:
  • Lesson 6 Individual Essay
Lesson 7: Collective Bargaining

Readings:
  • Lesson 7 Commentary
  • Textbook
    • Chapter 6

Activities:
  • Lesson 7 Discussion 1
  • Lesson 7 Discussion 2
Lesson 8: Impasses, Strikes, and Dispute Resolution

Readings:
  • Lesson 8 Commentary
  • Library Resources
    • Chapter 8
  • Other Readings
    • Campbell, A.F. (2019, Feb 13). A record number of US workers went on strike in 2018.

Activities:
  • Lesson 8 Individual Essay
Lesson 9: Contract Clauses and Their Administration

Readings:
  • Lesson 9 Commentary
  • Textbook
    • Chapter 7, pp. 351-366; Chapter 8, pp. 393-412
  • Library Resources
    • Chapter 9: Contract Clauses and Their Administration pp. 309-334
  • Other Readings
    • Dunlop, J.T. (1976). The Bargaining Table Closing essay in The American Worker(1976)

Activities:
  • Lesson 9 Quiz
  • Lesson 9 Individual Essay
Lesson 10: Contract Administration, Grievances, and Arbitration

Readings:
  • Lesson 10 Commentary
  • Textbook
    • Chapter 10 pp. 496-536
    • Chapter 12 608-623
  • Other Readings
    • Cooper, Bognanno, and Befort, “How and why Labor Arbitrators Decide Discipline and Discharge Cases: An Empirical Examination.” University of Minnesota Law School, Legal Studies Research Paper Series, 2008.

Activities:
  • Lesson 10 Discussion
Lesson 11: Mid-Term

Readings:

No Readings

Activities:
  • Mid-Term
Lesson 12: Flexibility, Empowerment, and Partnership

Readings:

 

  • Lesson 12 Commentary
  • Library Resources
    • Chapter 10 pp. 357-381
  • Other Readings
    • Pyman, Amanda. (2016). “They’re the voice: how workers can be heard when unions are on the wane.” The Conversation.
    • Nagele-Piazza, Lisa. (2019). “Top 10 Workplace Trends for 2019.” SHRM.

Activities:
  • Lesson 12 Individual Essay
Lesson 13: Comparative Employment Relations

Readings:
  • Lesson 13 Commentary
  • Textbook
    • Chapter 14

Activities:
  • Lesson 13 Individual Essay
Lesson 14: Alt-Labor and Labor's Alliances with Broader Social Movements

Readings:
  • Lesson 14 Commentary
  • Other Readings
    • Hilgers, Lauren. (2019) Out of the Shadows. The New York Times Magazine.
    • Weise, Karen. (2108) Somali Workers in Minnesota Force Amazon to Negotiate. The New York Times.
    • Eidelson, Josh.  (2013) Alt Labor.  The American Prospect.
    • Hackman, Rose. (2014) Alt-labor: a new union movement or the same old song? The Guardian.
    • Walsh, Dylan. (2018). Alt-Labor, Explained. MIT Sloan School of Management.

Activities:
  • Lesson 14 Individual Essay
Lesson 15: Automation, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Work

Readings:
  • Lesson 15 Commentary
  • Other Readings
    • Gupta, Sarita, et. al. (2018). It’s Not the ‘Future of Work,’ It’s the Future of Workers That’s in Doubt.
    • Jesuthasan, Ravin and Boudreau, John (2018). "What We Often Get Wrong About Automation". Harvard Business Review.
    • World Economic forum (2018). The Future of Jobs Report (to page 31)

Activities:
  • Lesson 15 Individual Essay

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