2013-2014 Academic Catalog

May 23, 2024

2013-2014 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

MGMT 020 - Strikes in America

Strikes are the most exciting, controversial and unpredictable events in labor relations. In this seminar, we examine the evolution of strikes in the United States from their early use for organizing workers to their later use during collective bargaining. We examine the workers’ right to strike and the employers’ right to replace strikers, the various forms of strikes, the theory and practice of striking, the unions’ reliance on community coalitions and political allies during strikes, and the ways that unions and employers manage legitimacy during strikes. The class will review the causes, tactics and outcomes of several recent strikes including those of nurses, baseball players, engineers, janitors, longshoremen, coal miners, teachers and slaughterhouse workers. Finally, we ask whether strikes are still effective in this age of globalization, plant relocation, low union membership, public indifference and management’s frequent use of striker replacements.

Anticipated Terms Offered: Offered periodically