Practical Labor Relations Course

Lesson 1 • Key Actors in Labor Relations

Identifies the roles of unions, management, government agencies, and arbitrators. Clarifies how each actor influences outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Core Legal Framework Overview

Introduces the regulatory principles governing collective bargaining and worker rights. Sets the legal context applied in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • History of the Labor Movement

Traces the evolution of worker organizing from early craft guilds to modern unions. Provides historical context for current labor practices.

Lesson 1 • Recognition and Certification

Explains the formal paths to union recognition including elections and card-check. Connects recognition outcomes to bargaining obligations.

Lesson 2 • Decertification and Deauthorization

Covers the processes by which employees can remove or limit union representation. Balances employer, employee, and union perspectives.

Lesson 3 • The Organizing Campaign Process

Maps the stages of a union organizing drive from initial contact to election. Prepares practitioners to recognize and respond to each stage.

Lesson 4 • Employer Response Strategies

Covers lawful employer communications and campaign activities during organizing. Distinguishes permissible responses from prohibited interference.

Lesson 1 • Subjects of Bargaining

Distinguishes mandatory, permissive, and illegal bargaining subjects. Enables practitioners to set agendas and challenge improper proposals.

Lesson 2 • Good-Faith Bargaining Obligations

Defines the legal duty to bargain in good faith and common violations. Prepares practitioners to avoid and identify surface bargaining.

Lesson 3 • Preparing for Negotiations

Covers data gathering, team selection, and proposal development before bargaining begins. Links preparation quality to negotiation outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Ratification and Contract Execution

Covers the steps from tentative agreement to a signed, ratified contract. Ensures practitioners can manage the final stages of bargaining.

Lesson 1 • Reading and Influencing the Other Side

Develops skills in reading signals, body language, and authority levels across the table. Improves real-time decision-making during sessions.

Lesson 2 • Handling Impasse and Pressure Tactics

Equips practitioners to manage deadlocks and respond to pressure without conceding unnecessarily. Links impasse management to dispute resolution options.

Lesson 3 • Multi-Party and Coalition Bargaining

Addresses bargaining involving multiple unions or employer associations. Prepares practitioners for complex, multi-stakeholder negotiations.

Lesson 4 • Integrative Bargaining Approaches

Introduces interest-based and mutual-gains bargaining methods. Connects collaborative approaches to durable, high-quality agreements.

Lesson 1 • Seniority, Layoff, and Recall Provisions

Explains how seniority systems govern job security and workforce decisions. Builds skill in drafting layoff, recall, and bumping language.

Lesson 2 • Wages, Benefits, and Compensation Language

Covers drafting precise wage scales, premium pay, and benefit provisions. Prevents ambiguity that leads to grievances and arbitration.

Lesson 3 • Contract Interpretation Principles

Teaches the rules arbitrators and courts use to interpret ambiguous contract language. Enables practitioners to draft tighter language and predict rulings.

Lesson 4 • Discipline and Discharge Clauses

Covers just-cause standards and progressive discipline language in contracts. Connects contract language to grievance and arbitration outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Grievance Meetings and Advocacy

Prepares practitioners to present and argue grievances in formal meetings. Builds oral advocacy and listening skills for step hearings.

Lesson 2 • Investigating a Grievance

Covers fact-finding techniques for both union and management representatives. Links thorough investigation to stronger grievance outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Writing Effective Grievance Responses

Develops skills in drafting clear, defensible grievance answers at each step. Reduces arbitration risk through precise written responses.

Lesson 4 • Grievance Tracking and Pattern Analysis

Introduces systems for tracking grievances and identifying systemic issues. Connects data analysis to proactive labor relations management.

Lesson 1 • Building the Arbitration Case

Guides practitioners through organizing evidence, witnesses, and arguments. Connects case theory to contract language and arbitral precedent.

Lesson 2 • Selecting and Evaluating Arbitrators

Covers strategies for researching and selecting arbitrators from panels. Builds skill in evaluating past awards for bias and consistency.

Lesson 3 • Presenting at the Arbitration Hearing

Builds skills in opening statements, direct examination, and cross-examination. Prepares practitioners for the full arc of a hearing day.

Lesson 4 • Arbitration Process and Procedures

Explains the arbitration process from demand to award, including procedural rules. Provides the procedural map needed before case preparation begins.

Lesson 1 • Building a Positive Labor-Management Climate

Covers practices that reduce adversarialism and build cooperative relationships. Links climate quality to lower grievance rates and smoother bargaining.

Lesson 2 • Aligning Labor Relations with Business Strategy

Connects labor relations decisions to organizational performance and competitive positioning. Enables practitioners to make the business case for labor investments.

Lesson 3 • Managing Strikes and Work Stoppages

Prepares practitioners to plan for, respond to, and resolve strikes and lockouts. Covers operational continuity and post-stoppage relationship repair.

Lesson 4 • Unfair Labor Practice Charge Management

Guides practitioners through responding to and filing unfair labor practice charges. Reduces legal exposure through proactive compliance practices.