Labor Relations Practice
IE 4710
Winter 2013
Hal Stack
248.546.3682
h.stack@wayne.edu
Office hours before and after
class and by appointment
Course Description.
This course provides the knowledge and skills to effectively administer labor agreements
and manage the labor-management relationship. Students will be able to:
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describe and apply the legal framework which regulates unions and labor-management
relations;
describe the structure and content of collective bargaining agreements;
explain the grievance-arbitration system and its role in contract administration;
describe the rights and responsibilities of stewards and supervisors;
evaluate and resolve workplace conflicts and grievances;
apply the seven tests of just cause in cases involving discipline and discharge;
describe the practices involved in establishing and maintaining constructive labormanagement relations;
describe the changes occurring in work organization and labor relations practice in response
to intensifying competition;
describe the NLRB election process, employer union avoidance strategies, and alternative
union organizing strategies;
describe similarities and differences between the U.S., Japanese and German labor relations
systems; and
utilize a variety of internet tools to research unions and labor relations issues.
Course Text.
John Budd, Labor Relations: Striking a Balance.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005 (1st ed.), 2008 2rd ed.), or 2010 (3rd ed.)
The wise student will order a used copy of the text from Amazon, Powells,
BigWords, CampusBooks, etc.
Course Schedule: 4:00 – 6:50 p.m., Tuesdays, 79 Manoogian Hall
Plagiarism Policy. Please review the University’s policy on plagiarism.
Accommodation Policy. If you feel that you may need an accommodation based on the
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impact of a disability, please feel free to contact me to discuss your specific needs. Additionally,
Student Disability Services coordinates reasonable accommodation for students with
documented disabilities.
Course Requirements.
20% 10 in-class quizzes and assignments
20% Midterm exam
5% Union Report
5% Collective bargaining contract analysis
5% Comparative labor relations presentation
5% Grievance and arbitration cases
5% Arbitration Case Summaries
20% Final exam
15% Class participation
January 8
Welcome and Introduction
Course Overview
Introductions
What Unions Do
Unions and Strategic Choice: Knights of Labor, AFL, IWW
Assignment for January 15: John Budd, Chapter 4 (Chapter 3 in 3rd edition)
Union Report
Collective Bargaining Agreement
Responses to industrialization Chart
The Role of Unions (mission statement)
January 15
The Triumph of Mass Production
Responses to Industrialization
Manufacturing in Historical Perspective
Craft Production and the Early Auto Industry
Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management
Ford and the Rise of Mass Production
GM Surpasses Ford
Welfare Capitalism
The Depression
Assignment for January 22: John Budd, Chapter 5 (Chapter 4 in 3rd edition)
January 22
The New Deal Labor Relations System
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The CIO and Industrial Unionism
The Rise of the UAW
The New Deal Labor Relations System
Wartime and Postwar Labor Relations
The Golden Age and Seeds of Decline
Assignment for January 29: John Budd, Chapter 6 (Chapter 5 in 3rd edition)
January 29
Labor and Management Strategies, Structures and Rights
Labor Goals and Strategies
The Structure of the U.S. Labor Movement
Management Goals and Strategies
Balancing Labor Rights and Property Rights
Unions and Firm Performance
The Burden of Collective Bargaining in the U.S.
Union Reports Due
Assignment for February 5: Chapter 10, up to grievance arbitration (Chapter 9)
February 5
Contract Clauses and Their Impact
U.S. Union Contracts
Employee Rights and Obligations
Job Rights and Obligations
Union Rights and Obligations
Management Rights and Obligations
Assignment for February 12: Chapter 10, grievance arbitration to end (Chapter 9)
February 12
The Grievance Procedure
Grievance Procedures
Grievance Analysis
Employee Discipline
Past Practice and Management Rights
Duty of Fair Representation
Contract Administration
Collective Bargaining Contract Analysis Due
Midterm Exam Distributed
February 19
Grievance Arbitration
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The Arbitration Procedure
Arbitration Cases
Discipline and Discharge
Seven Tests for Just Cause
Assignment for February 26: John Budd, Chapter 8 (Chapter 7)
February 26
Collective Bargaining
Bargaining Sub-processes and Strategies
The Legal Framework of Collective Bargaining
Bargaining Power and the Bargaining Environment
Bargaining Structures
Bargaining Simulation Preparation
Arbitration Assignment Due
March 5
Collective Bargaining Process
Bargaining Case Study: Eastern Airlines
Bargaining Effectively: Interest-Based Bargaining
Midterm Exam Due
Assignment for March 19: John Budd, Chapter 9 (Chapter 8)
March 12
Spring Break
March 19
Impasse, Strikes and Dispute Resolution
Strikes and Lockouts
Case Study: CAW and Bombardier
Contract Campaigns
Striker Replacement
Meditation
Interest Arbitration
Act 312
Fact Finding
Assignment for March 26: John Budd, Chapter 12 (Chapter 11)
March 26
The U.S. Labor Relations System Under Stress
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Deregulation
Globalization
Case Study: Mazda Corporation
The Profit Equation
Labor-Management Cooperation
Assignment for April 2: John Budd, Chapter 11 (Chapter 10)
April 2
Flexibility and Employee Involvement
Employee Involvement
New Work Systems
Lean Production
Assignment for April 9: John Budd, Chapter 7 (Chapter 6)
April 9
Union Organizing
Union Density
NLRB Elections
Employer Campaigns
Union Campaigns
Assignment for April 16: John Budd, Chapter 13 (Chapter 12)
April 16
Comparative Labor Relations
April 30
Final Exam Due
Resources:
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University of California – Berkeley, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
Library
Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations Library
European Industrial Relations Observatory
Bureau of Labor Statistics
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