Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining


The fifth pillar of the Minnesota Model of HRIR is labor relations and collective bargaining. Students who specialize in this area study labor unions and the unionized employment relationship.


Important topics include:

  • Why individuals and society may or may not desire union representation
  • How union representation changes the nature of the employment relationship
  • The legal doctrine pertaining to labor-management relations


CoreCourse

PhD students who specialize in this area will take 2 semesters of HRIR 8870, which focuses on academic research.


HRIR 8870
FACULTY

Areasof Study

Academic research in labor relations and collective bargaining analyzes a diverse variety of questions and subjects. Historically, the central research topics have included:

  • The effects of unions on wages, productivity, and numerous other dimensions
  • The determinants of union support and union density
  • The merits of different types of dispute resolutions procedures
  • The determinants of strike activity
  • The evaluation of labor laws

Current and recent faculty and PhD student research topics include:

  • Arbitration and the narcotic effect
  • Strike activity in Korea
  • Strike replacement laws
  • Union members v. covered nonmembers
  • Unions and unemployment insurance benefits

FurtherReading

To become more familiar with the topics currently being studied in this area, we highly recommend that students read articles in the top tier journals in this field:

Industrial and Labor Relations Review
Industrial Relations
British Journal of Industrial Relations