LABR 608 - Issues in Organizing (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None
This course deals with current debates concerning the future of organized labor in the United States. Students will examine a wide range of opinion, both within the labor movement and among scholars of the labor movement, concerning several key questions: Considering current socio-political conditions in the global economy, are unions still relevant? If so, is growth possible? If not, what other forms of worker organization are possible? To answer these questions, students will examine arguments advanced by top U.S. labor leaders and students of the labor movement. These arguments will be posed against a range of theoretical and historical perspectives, starting with Marx and Commons and including the work of contemporary scholars and researchers. Students will grapple with contemporary issues and problems in organizing, including attitudes of workers; employer anti-union tactics; legal impediments; and alternative venues for union certification in both the public and private sector. They will discuss the importance of strategic research and media outreach. Finally, they will develop a set of criteria for evaluating the success of organizing initiatives.