Labor Law Basic Tutorial: Labor Unions and Collective Bargaining

Author: Robert A. Gorman
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: American labor law typically consists of two parts: labor law and employment law. I once took a course on American labor law while pursuing my Master of Laws degree in the United States, which primarily focused on employment issues, as well as racial discrimination, gender discrimination, age discrimination, and other problems in the workplace. Even now, I can vividly recall the lively image of my professor holding a sign and walking back and forth while explaining "picketing." This book, written by Professor Robert A. Gorman of the University of Pennsylvania, primarily discusses American labor-management relations, such as union organization and collective bargaining, and rarely touches on employment issues. Initially, American labor-management relations were largely government regulation and were considered private matters, best resolved directly by employers and employees. However, in the latter half of the 19th century, this "government neutrality" perspective changed. Employee collective actions, such as strikes and picketing, in discussing work issues increasingly drew the attention of courts. Many early cases ruled such unified protests by employees as illegal. With the passage of the Sherman Act, Congress began to prohibit monopolistic practices, and under this broader context, labor and management engaged in a struggle over employment terms and conditions, a struggle that continues to this day. The layout and design of this book differ from typical American law school casebooks. It does not collect complete cases, include footnotes, or pose questions for discussion. As the author explains, this approach greatly benefits readers. In my opinion, such a layout may also be more suitable for Chinese readers' reading habits.