Labor Relations Commons^™

Adapting To $15: As The Minimum Wage Approaches $15 In Nyc, Business Owners Are Finding Ways To Make It Work, Alexandra Semenova, Sharif Paget

Capstones

This project examines the impact of minimum wage increases across major industries in New York City and State and concludes they have been manageable and even fueled broader economic growth. Since the incremental wage hikes were first signed into law in 2015, data and anecdotal evidence has shown business owners have been able to make it work and many of critics' concerns that the higher labor costs would lead to disemployment have been misplaced. The story provides an in-depth analysis of how restaurant and food establishments, health care and retail employers have adapted to higher labor costs by innovating their …

Between Support And Shame: The Impacts Of Workplace Violations For Immigrant Families, Shannon Gleeson

Shannon Gleeson

Purpose - This study examines the conditions that lead to workplace violations for low-wage immigrant workers, and how family life shapes their decision to speak up. I also highlight how both employer abuse and the claims making process can impact individuals and their families.

Methodology/approach - This research adopts a mixed-method approach that includes a survey of 453 low-wage workers seeking pro bono legal assistance and 115 follow-up interviews with claimants. I also conduct a five-year ethnography of both a monthly state workshop provided for injured workers and a pro bono legal aid clinic in a predominantly Latino agricultural community …

Contracts With Community College Adjunct Faculty Members And Potential Supplemental Benefits To Increase Satisfaction, Kimberly Ann Page

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

ABSTRACT

As state funding to community colleges has fluctuated, many community colleges have hired more adjunct faculty (Desrochers & Hurlburt, 2014).

This qualitative research explored supplemental benefits, which could be included in adjunct faculty contracts with community colleges in order to promote workplace satisfaction, without causing stress on budgets. Adjunct faculty who realize greater job satisfaction are more beneficial to their institutions because they promote student learning and retention (CCCSE, 2014b; Hollenshead, 2010; Jacoby, 2006).

The descriptive study included three phases: record reviews, interviews with key informants and elite informants, and a reflective questionnaire. New England was selected as the …

The History Books Tell It? Collective Bargaining In Higher Education In The 1940s, William A. Herbert

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This article presents a history of unionization and collective bargaining in higher education during and just after World War II, decades before the establishment of statutory frameworks for labor representation. It examines the collective bargaining program adopted by the University of Illinois in 1945, along with contracts negotiated at other institutions, which demonstrated support for employee self-organization. It will also presents counter-examples of institutions using the courts and congressional investigators to defeat unionization efforts. . Lastly, the article will examine the role of United Public Workers of America (UPWA) and its predecessor unions in organizing and negotiating on behalf of …

Narratives Of Deservingness And The Institutional Youth Of Immigrant Workers, Shannon Gleeson

Shannon Gleeson

This article speaks to the special issue’s goal of disrupting the deserving/undeserving immigrant narrative by critically examining eligibility criteria available under two arenas of relief for undocumented immigrants: 1) the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary deportation relief and work authorization for young adults who meet an educational requirement and other criteria, and 2) current and proposed pathways to legal status for those unauthorized immigrants who come forward to denounce workplace injustice, among other crimes. For each of these categories of “deserving migrants,” I illuminate the exclusionary nature each of these requirements, which pose challenges …

From Rights To Claims: The Role Of Civil Society In Making Rights Real For Vulnerable Workers, Shannon Gleeson

Shannon Gleeson

This article examines the contextual factors driving legal mobilization of workers in the United States through an analysis of national origin discrimination charges under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (2000-2005). Consistent with previous studies, this analysis confirms that high unemployment levels and weak labor protections promote legal mobilization. The findings also highlight the positive role that civil society may play in promoting claims-making. I argue that nongovernmental organizations fill the gap in places where organized labor is weak, and may help support claims-making particularly in places with a larger vulnerable workforce. The article concludes by offering suggestions …

Digital Media And Unionization In The “Guilded" Age: How Labor Organizations In The Entertainment Industry Are Swimming Against The Current Of Streaming New Media And Technology, Jacqueline G.H. Kim

Prize Winning Papers

No abstract provided.