Prerequisites: None

Exam Type: No Exam

Even as we enter a period of tight labor markets and as workers in retail and warehousing form independent unions, the overall rate of workers in unions continues to decline. Income inequality accelerated during the pandemic. A growing category of people – “gig workers” – don’t even know if they have an employer. The right to unionize has been eviscerated. In the face of these trends, how can working people organize and mobilize for economic justice? And what does the law do to enable or impede their efforts? A new generation of leaders is experimenting with innovative ways to enable workers to gain power in their workplaces, our communities and the economy. This course will explore the legal framework and challenges for these new organizations and movements, analyze their potential in achieving the scale and sustainability necessary to make lasting change, and challenge students to predict how the law can and should evolve to meet the needs of the next generation of American workers.