LABR 630 - Union Organization and Function (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None
This course will provide students with an advanced understanding of social science concepts and organizational theories that are designed to analyze the structures, functions, and practices of unions. Students will examine the main functions of unions, including collective bargaining, political action, and organizing, and explore the ways in which various types of union structures are matched to industry structures. Topics will include workforce demographics, diversity, models of union leadership, governance and decision-making, power relations, conflict, and diversity in union membership and leadership. In analyzing how unions are built and sustained, students will examine such factors as motivation, commitment and personality as well as the behavior of individuals and groups in unions. Unions, like other organizations, are under substantial pressure from the external environment to adapt to changing industrial and economic conditions. Concepts related to the change process, such as stakeholder analysis, resistance to change, and participative design will be discussed and applied to case studies of union transformation.