Introduction to Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations

Catalog description

This course assumes that students do not have prior knowledge of legal terminology or concepts. It will provide students with a foundation in the fundamentals of collective bargaining and union-management relationships within the unique environment of the college campus. American labor law is the prevailing system of laws that govern universities and colleges, however, students will explore how these general “rules of the game” apply to higher education institutions. The course will challenge participants to consider how general rules and principles of collective bargaining and labor relations shape, and are shaped by fundamental aspects of the higher-education “workplace” including academic freedom, faculty workloads, tenure and shared governance. These unique factors have the potential to influence expectations concerning productivity, termination and the traditionally sharp distinction between labor and management found in other industries.