Course | Columbia Law School

The course examines federal regulation of labor-management conflict and cooperation, with particular focus on the National Labor Relations Act. The course examines the legal doctrine in light of two broad questions: to what extent does or should labor law encourage worker participation and economic redistribution? Should labor law be reformed to address ongoing transformations in corporate organization, economic globalization, and shifting conceptions of class identity in the political culture? Specific topics include: the protection of employee rights to organize unions; the process of collective bargaining; the scope of union and employer direct action, including strikes, boycotts, picketing, and lockouts; the administration of the collective bargaining agreement and the role of labor arbitration; the relationship between unions and workers; new modes of collective action among workers outside the scope of federal regulation; and emerging regulatory systems designed to address the liberalization of international markets in goods, services, and capital.