This is the home page for course WER 401, Collective Bargaining, at Le Moyne College.  Here you will find the course syllabus and reading list, the essay handout, requirements for the style and format of essays, the guide to reading the various chapters in the Clark, Delaney and Frost book (as well as some of the other readings), sample exam questions, the exam schedule, information about the collective bargaining exercise required in the class, announcements of any changes in the reading list or class schedule, and links to a variety of internet sites that contain interesting and useful information related to collective bargaining. This version of the home page refers to the Fall 2008 semester.

Professor Clifford B. Donn ("Cliff" to you)	RH 416, 445-4484
donn@lemoyne.edu	FAX 445-4540

Schedule and Office Hours - You can find Cliff's office hours and teaching schedule for the current semester here.

Course Syllabus and Reading List - WER 401 - Here you will find the course syllabus and reading list for WER 401 including the schedule of assignments, expectations for both students and the instructor, and the list of both required and optional readings.

Class Slides - Powerpoint slides from class each day will be available here after class.

Course Essay Handout - Here you will find the handout with essay topics, due dates, information about the style and other requirements for your essays, information about required sources, and some description of how the essays are evaluated.  Make sure you read this carefully and that you read it carefully again when you choose your essay topic, when you take notes from sources for your essay topic, when you actually write the essay and before you proofread the essay for the last time.

It is very important that essays use sources properly and that sources be cited appropriately.  You can find information on the format and style of papers which is acceptable in courses of the IRHRM Department at Le Moyne College by following this link.  Essays without appropriate citations will not be accepted in WER 401.

The essay handout details the bases on which your essay will be assessed. This rubric provides greater detail about how each assessment criterion is evaluated. It will be very helpful to you to refer to this rubric in planning your essay and in proofreading it before you hand it in. The rubric also provides the "short hand" for interpreting instructor comments on your essay and you will need to refer to it before you come meet with the instructor to discuss your essay and get your grade.

Reading Guide - This is a set of hints about what to look for as you read each of the assigned industry chapters in the Clark, Delaney and Frost book. It covers a few of the other assigned readings as well.

Course Library Reserve List - This is the list of items placed on reserve for this class in the library this semester.  It should correspond to the course reading list.

Exam Schedule and information are here including a copy of the final exam questions from the last time the course was taught.

Instructions and links for the course collective bargaining exercise can be found here.  The collective bargaining exercise in WER 401 is a simulation in which the class is divided into groups representing management and union teams and those teams attempt to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement based on the case material provided.

Announcements of changes of any kind in the reading assignments, class or class schedule can be found here.  You may also find announcements about interviews, internships, permanent jobs, graduate school, etc..

Arbitration and mediation cases: You are welcome to attend arbitration or mediation cases with Cliff (although you should not use this as an excuse to cut other classes) as an observer to see what they are like.  There is a sign-up sheet on his office door but you can look at the cases which are currently scheduled here.

Lists of Terms: These are the same lists of definitions handed out in class for each topic in the course.

Definitions: Introduction

Definitions: Bargaining Environments

Definitions: Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Definitions: Alternative Bargaining Models

Links to sources of information and data about collective bargaining.  Below you will find links to a variety of sources of information and data relevant to collective bargaining.  

The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the principal statistical agency of the Department of Labor and provides a rich source of data on a variety of IRHR topics.

Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations maintains a page with a series of links that it calls an Industrial Relations Overview of the United States. That page contains links on subjects such as collective bargaining, union density, pay levels, benefits, hours, health and safety, etc.

The Institute for Industrial Relations at the University of California (Berkeley) together with the AFL-CIO has created a web page for the Labor Project for Working Families.  Among other things, this page has sections with innovative contract language that relates to work and family issues.  This language may be helpful to you when you are doing the collective bargaining exercise.

The federal agency charged with overall enforcement of the National Labor Relations Act is the National Labor Relations Board or NLRB. Its home page includes summaries of recent decisions.

The federal agency charged with overall enforcement of the Railway Labor Act is the National Mediation Board. It conducts elections and attempts to resolve disputes between the parties.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the chief agency of the US Department of Labor responsible for workplace safety and health issue.  Its web site contains data but also describes the agency, its programs and new standards which it is considering.