Law Commons^™

Pension Power: Unions, Pension Funds, And Social Investment In Canada, Jinyan Li

Jinyan Li

This is a review of the book Pension Power: Unions, Pension Funds, and Social Investment in Canada.

Not Dead Yet: Preserving Labor Law Strengths While Exploring New Labor Law Strategies, Lance Compa

Lance A Compa

No abstract provided.

The Wagner Model And International Freedom Of Association Standards, Lance A. Compa

Lance A Compa

[Excerpt] I first met Pierre Verge just before beginning my service with the NAFTA labour commission in 1995. Not long after that, Pierre Verge and my own labour law professor at Yale in 1972, Clyde Summers, jointly wrote a penetrating evaluation of the first years of the NAFTA labour side accord, which still serves as the best single analysis of that seminal but flawed instrument linking labour standards and a trade agreement (Summers, Verge and Medina, 1998; Verge, 1999; Verge, 2002). Since then, my understanding of international labour standards and how they relate to labour law in North America has …

The Role Of Medical Care In Workers' Compensation, Dean Hashimoto

Dean M. Hashimoto

Overruling The Jury: Duncan V. Gmc And Appellate Treatment Of Hostile Work Environment Judgments, Dara Purvis

Dara Purvis

In 2002, the Eighth Circuit reversed a one million dollar jury award to the plaintiff in a sexual harassment suit against General Motors Corporation. This reversal demonstrates the danger of appellate review of such verdicts, limiting sexual harassment verdicts to the lowest common denominator in that circuit.

Happy Belated Labor Day, Commissioner Goodell, Michael J. Goldberg

Michael J Goldberg

No abstract provided.

Panelist, What Will Be The Effect Of The Department Of Labor’S Fiduciary Rule?, Patricia Mccoy

Patricia A. McCoy

Rights In Recession: Toward Administrative Antidiscrimination Law, Stephanie Bornstein

Stephanie Bornstein

This Article documents how, over the past six years and coinciding with the “Great Recession of 2008,” both public and private antidiscrimination enforcement mechanisms have become increasingly constrained, such that the ability to enforce the mandate of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - the main federal law prohibiting employment discrimination - may be facing a crisis point. While enforcement mechanisms for federal antidiscrimination law have long left room for improvement, recent developments in the economy, due to the 2008 recession, and in federal case law, due to a series of procedural decisions by the Roberts Court, …

Law Firms As Defendants: Family Responsibilities Discrimination In Legal Workplaces, Joan C. Williams, Stephanie Bornstein, Diana Reddy, Betsy A. Williams

Stephanie Bornstein

This article analyzes how the growing trend of litigation alleging employment discrimination based on workers' family caregiving responsibilities applies to law firms and other legal employers. Our research has found at least thirty-three cases since 1990 in which employees of law firms or other legal employers--both attorneys and support staff--have sued their employers for family responsibilities discrimination (“FRD”). FRD is discrimination against employees based on their family caregiving responsibilities for newborns, young children, elderly parents, or ill spouses or partners. Here we analyze these cases, including the employee experiences that have prompted litigation and the legal theories on which the …

The Fine Line Employers Walk: Is It A Justified Business Practice, Or Discrimination?, Michelle Dimaria

Michelle DiMaria

No abstract provided.

Federal Regulation Of Collective Bargaining By State And Local Employees: Constitutional Alternatives, Ronald C. Brown

Ronald Brown

No abstract provided.

Federal Legislation For Public Sector Collective Bargaining: A Minimum Standards Approach, Ronald C. Brown

Ronald Brown

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of The Unions And The Cities: Studies Of Unionism In Government, Ronald Brown

Ronald Brown

No abstract provided.

Public Sector Collective Bargaining: Perspective And Legislative Opportunities, Ronald C. Brown

Ronald Brown

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of Managing Local Government Under Union Pressure, Ronald C. Brown

Ronald Brown

No abstract provided.

Professors And Unions: The Faculty Senate: An Effective Alternative To Collective Bargaining In Higher Education?, Ronald C. Brown

Ronald Brown

No abstract provided.

Constitional Basis And Implications Of Federal Collective Bargaining Legislation For State And Local Employees, Ronald C. Brown

Ronald Brown

No abstract provided.

"What The Nlrb Giveth The Nlrb Taketh Away: Contrasting Views Concerning Graduate Student Unions", Richard J. Hunter Jr.

Richard J Hunter Jr.

This paper will discuss the status of efforts to unionize various types of graduate students, including teaching assistants, research assistants, and graduate assistants in light of two important NLRB precedents found in New York University and Brown University. The paper contains an introduction to labor law, including a discussion of the certification process, jurisdiction of the NLRB, the requirement of a "substantial showing of interest," establishment of bargaining units, and spacing of representation elections. The paper raises questions about the impact of these contrary rulings on the attempts to form a union by scholarship football players at Northwestern University in …

An Essay Challenging The Racially Biased Selection Of Arbitrators For Employment Discrimination Suits, Michael Z. Green

Michael Z. Green

Since 1991, employers have increasingly decided to require that employees agree to arbitrate statutory employment discrimination claims as a condition of employment. This Essay seeks to expose some of the potential discriminatory components that may arise in the arbitrator selection process while highlighting the lack of legal remedy for those who believe that employers, in conjunction with neutral service provders, have stacked the pool in favor of having arbitrators who tend to be older, white and male. The Essay suggests the use of 42 U.S.C. Section 1981 as a potential remedy and challenge to the dearth of arbitrators of color …

Tackling Employment Discrimination With Adr: Does Mediation Offer A Shield For The Haves Or Real Opportunity For The Have-Nots, Michael Z. Green

Michael Z. Green

No abstract provided.

Wage Gender Disparities: Challenging Prevailing Assumptions, Theoretical Approache, Shlomit Yanisky-Ravid Professor Of Law

Shlomit Yanisky-Ravid Professor of Law

Women in the United States are, on average and consistently, earning less than their male peers. Sometimes, they are even paid less than the men they supervise. A common response concerns about the 23 cent gender wage gap for full-time year-round workers across occupations, is that it is simply a byproduct of the choices women make: choices to prefer family life and needs, work fewer hours, take on lower-paying jobs, or opt out of the workforce for longer periods of time than men. Under this view, the gender pay gap is not a result of sex discrimination but of women's …

Unusual Unanimity And The Ongoing Debate On The Meaning Of Words: The Labor And Employment Decisions From The Supreme Court's 2013-14 Term, Michael Z. Green

Michael Z. Green

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 …

The Nlrb As An Uberagency For The Evolving Workplace, Michael Z. Green

Michael Z. Green

In addressing legal issues regarding the relationships between employers and employees, one must navigate a complex maze of rights and remedies that govern the workplace. This Essay details several recent and important workplace disputes addressed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) pursuant to Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Section 7 protects a worker's right to pursue an activity for mutual aid or protection regarding wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. The NLRB, a unique agency with its ultimate decisions determined by five members who primarily establish rules through adjudication rather than rule …

The Evolution And Decline Of The Effective-Vindication Doctrine In U.S. Arbitration Law, Okezie Chukwumerije

OKEZIE CHUKWUMERIJE

This article offers information on the history, significance and role of the effective-vindication doctrine in U.S. arbitration law in promoting access to justice. It analyzes the significance of broad policy implications regarding the interpretation of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) by the Court facilitating the arbitration of commercial disputes and protecting the statutory rights of consumers in the context of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Green Tree Financial Corp. v. Randolph.

Mickey Mouse, Morality And Manufacturing: A Look At The Evolving Private Regulation Of Global Labour Standards, Umair Ghori

Umair H. Ghori

Labour standards maintained by transnational corporations are now an inalienable part of global sourcing business. These standards serve to incentivise better treatment of labour in countries where the majority of basic manufacturing operations occur (usually developing countries and least developed countries). This paper investigates the effects of changes made by large retail corporations in their sourcing guidelines (especially labour standards). The impact of such changes carries far-reaching consequences for manufacturers based in developing countries. The research title was inspired by the recent move by Walt Disney Company to black-list certain countries that were found to be deficient in enforcement of …

Convergence In Industrial Relations Institutions: The Emerging Anglo-American Model?, Alexander Colvin, Owen Darbishire

Alexander Colvin

At the outset of the Thatcher/Reagan era, the employment and labor law systems across six Anglo- American countries could be divided into three pairings: the Wagner Act model of the United States and Canada; the Voluntarist system of collective bargaining and strong unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland; and the highly centralized, legalistic Award systems of Australia and New Zealand. The authors argue that there has been growing convergence in two major areas: First, of labor law toward a private ordering of employment relations in which terms and conditions of work and employment are primarily determined at the level …

Private Amici Curaie And The Supreme Court's 1997-1998 Term Employment Law Jurisprudence, Andrew P. Morriss

Andrew P. Morriss

The amicus curiae brief has become a common occurrence in today's legal arena, especially with the proliferation of private interest groups that specialize in numerous topics of political and social interest. The substantial increase in the use of amici briefs, however, has sparked criticism concerning both the costs (in effort and resources) associated with filing these griefs and the persuasive effect (or lack thereof) the briefs have on the Court. Much of this criticism arises from the failure of many interest groups to posit "legal" arguments that apply the facts of a given case to the law. Instead, the amici …

Reading Ricci And Pyett To Provide Racial Justice Through Union Arbitration, Michael Z. Green

Michael Z. Green

With the current political climate regarding racial issues, any positive gains in resolving race discrimination claims in the workplace cannot come from new legislation through the Obama administration. Instead, those gains will have to come from within the workplace. Unions and their employee members must work together and with employers to resolve those disputes. Specifically, in this Article, two high-profile employment discrimination cases decided by the Supreme Court during President Obama's first year in office--Ricci v. DeStefano and Penn Plaza LLC v. Pyett--help identify a framework whereby employees with racial discrimination claims against their employers may work with …

Retaliatory Employment Arbitration, Michael Z. Green

Michael Z. Green

In 2014, we reach a key milestone with the fiftieth anniversary of the passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VII"). This landmark federal legislation, which prohibits discrimination in the workplace, also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"). This Article focuses on the use of arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution ("ADR"), to decide federal employment discrimination claims brought under that and related statutes. Specifically, this Article addresses the use of so-called "mandatory," "forced," "employer-mandated," or "pre-dispute" or "compelled" agreements to arbitrate that have garnered much attention and criticism over the past twenty …

Panel 3: Individuals, The Collective, And Democracy: Race, Class, Gender, Disability, And Individual Employee Rights, Addie C. Rolnick, Michael Z. Green, Francine J. Lipman, Nicole B. Porter, Gowri Ramachandran, Terry Smith

Michael Z. Green

Moderator: Addie Rolnick

Michael Z. Green: Black Worker Voice in Times of Joblessness and Anti-Racism Backlash

Francine J. Lipman: What's Tax Got to Do With It?

Nicole B. Porter: Women, Unions, and Negotiation

Gowri Ramachandran: Pay Transparency

Terry Smith: Law's Austerity: Capital, Labor, and Race in the Globalized Economy