TY - JOUR T1 - Representing Worker Interests: Past, Present, and Future JF - Social Service Review Y1 - 2015 A1 - Berg, Peter KW - benefits KW - employee voice KW - labor organization KW - labor standardss KW - stagnant wages KW - unionization KW - wages KW - workers’ groups AB -

Although productivity and employment are rising in the United States, many US workers continue to suffer from stagnant wages and poor benefits. This essay reviews three books about the state of labor organization, both through formal unions and informal workers’ groups, in the United States and globally. It concludes with some suggestions of ways to increase employee voice and raise labor standards.

VL - 89 L2 - eng CP - 2 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Unusual Unanimity and the Ongoing Debate on the Meaning of Words: The Labor and Employment Decisions from the Supreme Court's 2013-14 Term JF - ABA Journal of Labor and Employment Law Y1 - 2015 A1 - Green, Michael Z. KW - benefits KW - discimination KW - employment KW - labor KW - Supreme Court KW - wages KW - whistleblower AB -

During its 2013-14 term, the Supreme Court focused on labor relations, wage and hour law, whistleblowing, and employee benefits in several cases. The Court also addressed constitutional issues concerning the First Amendment, the Recess Appointments Clause, and affirmative action. The Court did not decide any employment discrimination cases during the term. Even without employment discrimination cases, the 2013-2014 term provided ten key cases of importance to labor and employment lawyers. Three of these cases involved distinctly different matters of concern for organized labor. Two cases addressed employee whistleblowing matters. Three cases focused on employee benefits. Two cases addressed issues tangentially-related to employment law. One case involved affirmative action. Another case addressed taxation of severance payments.In assessing the past term, one has to note the remarkable number of unanimous rulings. On the other hand, many of those "unanimous" decisions arose from general agreement on a limited result with blistering opinions questioning the majority's rationale. At one point, commentators even referred to the unanimity of the Supreme Court this past term as "specious" or "faux-nanimity." To explore the common theme of false unanimity, this Article reviews both the unanimous components of the decisions as well as the Justices’ existing divisions, especially over different approaches to interpreting the meaning of words. Finally, the Article identifies the significance of the Supreme Court’s 2013-14 labor and employment decisions and forecasts similar issues likely in store for the Court in the near future.

VL - 2 L2 - eng UR - http://ssrn.com/abstract=2580720 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Does Union Membership Benefit Immigrant Workers in ‘Hard Times’? JF - Journal of Industrial Relations Y1 - 2014 A1 - Turner, Thomas A1 - Christine Cross A1 - Michelle O’Sullivan KW - benefits KW - immigrants KW - Ireland KW - low pay KW - migrant workers KW - pay KW - pay inequality KW - union membership AB -

Immigrants experience many obstacles in obtaining jobs with comparable pay and conditions to native workers. Arguably, unionization could offer migrant workers the mechanism to obtain better pay and conditions. This paper examines whether migrant workers have benefited from unionization in terms of pay, pensions and health insurance in Ireland. Based on a large-scale national survey, we find that union membership delivers a modest wage premium of a relatively similar magnitude to both nationals and immigrant workers. Unionized immigrants are twice as likely as non-unionized immigrants to earn above the median hourly earnings and have greater pension coverage. In particular, immigrants from the new accession states in the European Union, with the lowest mean hourly earnings of any immigrant group, gain the most from union membership. Nonetheless, Irish nationals enjoy greater benefits from membership than immigrant workers. Addressing this discrepancy will require a greater focus by unions on organizing immigrant workers.

VL - 56 L2 - eng UR - http://www.ilpc.org.uk/Portals/56/ilpc2013-paperupload/ILPC2013paper-Paper%20for%20ILPC%202013_20130228_122640.docx CP - 5 ER - TY - BOOK T1 - Labour Law in the USA Y1 - 2011 A1 - Goldman, A. L. A1 - Corrada, R. KW - benefits KW - collective bargaining KW - industrial disputes KW - intellectual property KW - labor law KW - labor relations KW - wages KW - workers’ rights AB -

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this monograph on labour law in the USA not only describes and analyses the legal aspects of labour relations, but also examines labour relations practices and developing trends. It provides a survey of the subject that is both usefully brief and sufficiently detailed to answer most questions likely to arise in any pertinent legal setting. Both individual and collective labour relations are covered in ample detail, with attention to such underlying and pervasive factors employment contracts, suspension of the contracts, dismissal laws and covenant of non-competition, as well as international private law. The author describes all important details of the law governing hours and wages, benefits, intellectual property implications, trade union activity, employers’ associations, workers’ participation, collective bargaining, industrial disputes, and much more. Building on a clear overview of labour law and labour relations, the book offers practical guidance on which sound preliminary decisions may be based. It will find a ready readership among lawyers representing parties with interests in the USA, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of comparative trends in laws affecting labour and labour relations. (publisher's statement)

PB - Kluwer Law International CY - The Netherlands L2 - eng ER - TY - BOOK T1 - Why Unions Matter Y1 - 2009 A1 - Yates, M. KW - AFL-CIO KW - American labor movement KW - bargaining power KW - benefits KW - Change to Win KW - collective bargaining KW - elections AB -

Unions mean better pay, benefits, and working conditions for their members; they force employers to treat employees with dignity and respect; and at their best, they provide a way for workers to make society both more democratic and egalitarian. Yates uses simple language, clear data, and engaging examples to show why workers need unions, how unions are formed, how they operate, how collective bargaining works, the role of unions in politics, and what unions have done to bring workers together across the divides of race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation. (publisher’s statement)

PB - Monthly Review Press CY - New York L2 - eng ER - TY - BOOK T1 - What Do Unions Do? A Twenty Year Perspective Y1 - 2007 A1 - Bennett, J. A1 - Kaufmann, B. KW - benefits KW - decline of unions KW - dispute resolution KW - economic theory KW - income inequality KW - job satisfaction KW - productivity KW - wages AB -

One of the best-known and most-quoted books ever written on labor unions is What Do Unions Do? by Richard Freeman and James Medoff. Published in 1984, the book proved to be a landmark because it provided the most comprehensive and statistically sophisticated empirical portrait of the economic and socio-political effects of unions, and a provocative conclusion that unions are on balance beneficial for the economy and society.

The present volume represents a twentieth-anniversary retrospective and evaluation of What Do Unions Do? The objectives are threefold: to evaluate and critique the theory, evidence, and conclusions of Freeman and Medoff; to provide a comprehensive update of the theoretical and empirical literature on unions since the publication of their book; and to offer a balanced assessment and critique of the effects of unions on the economy and society. Toward this end, internationally recognized representatives of labor and management cover the gamut of subjects related to unions.

Topics covered include the economic theory of unions; the history of economic thought on unions; the effect of unions on wages, benefits, capital investment, productivity, income inequality, dispute resolution, and job satisfaction; the performance of unions in an international perspective; the reasons for the decline of unions; and the future of unions. The volume concludes with a chapter by Richard Freeman in which he assesses the arguments and evidence presented in the other chapters and presents his evaluation of how What Do Unions Do? stands up in the light of twenty years of additional experience and research. This highly readable volume is a state-of-the-art survey by internationally recognized experts on the effects and future of labor unions. It will be the benchmark for years to come. (publisher's statement)

PB - Transaction Publishers CY - New Brunswick, NJ L2 - eng ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Standing at a Crossroads: The Building Trades in the Twenty-First Century JF - Labor History Y1 - 2005 A1 - Erlich, M. A1 - J. M. Grabelsky KW - benefits KW - building KW - construction KW - employment KW - unionization KW - wages AB -

American building trades unions have historically played a critical and stabilizing role in the nation’s construction industry, establishing uniform standards and leveling the competitive playing field. Union members have enjoyed better than average wages and benefits, excellent training opportunities, and decent jobsite conditions. But in the last thirty years the industry has undergone a dramatic transformation. This article describes the decline in union density, the drop in construction wages, the growth of anti-union forces, the changes in labor force demographics, the shift toward construction management, and the emergence of an underground economy. It also analyzes how building trades unions have responded to these changes, identifies structural impediments to union renewal, and proposes strategies for building trades unions to reassert their presence and power.

VL - 46 L2 - eng UR - http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/281/ CP - 4 ER - TY - BOOK T1 - The Union Member’s Complete Guide: Everything You Want – And Need – To Know About Working Union Y1 - 2001 A1 - Mauer, M. KW - benefits KW - labor laws KW - union dues KW - worker representatives KW - workers’ rights AB -

An easy-to-read, comprehensive guide to how you can get the most out of your job in a unionized workplace -- from understanding what a union is and how it operates to how you can get the most value out of your union card and what you can do to make your union more successful.

* Understanding how unions operate
* Getting your say in contract demands
* The full story on union dues
* A union's responsibility to its members
* Getting help with workplace problems
* Your union card's bonus benefits
* A member's rights and responsibilities
* Labor laws that affect you
* How to file a grievance
* Your union steward's role
* Contact info for every union (publisher’s statement)

PB - UCS Inc. CY - Annapolis, MD L2 - eng ER -