Perspectives Online Companion
Fall 2007 and Spring 2007 Editions

Fall 2007 Edition (Number 7)

This seventh edition of LERA's Perspectives Online presents three articles. Together they form a mini-symposium on worker organizing in the United States . Ruth Milkman of UCLA- author of L.A. Story: Immigrant Workers and the Future of the U.S. Labor Movement (Russell Sage Foundation, 2006)- looks at labor's attention to both organizing immigrant workers and the immigrant rights movement. Richard Hurd of Cornell University draws on recent interviews with leaders within the AFL-CIO and "Change to Win" to explore the labor's use of neutrality agreements, which enable union organizing without employer opposition. The third article, by Perspectives editor Charles J. Whalen, reviews a related book: Labor in the New Urban Battlegrounds: Local Solidarity in a Global Economy (ILR Press, 2007), edited by Lowell Turner and Daniel B. Cornfield.

Readers are encouraged to contact LERA (at LERAoffice@uiuc.edu ) for information on the print-edition of Perspectives or to become a LERA member.

CURRENT ISSUES IN WORKER ORGANIZING

Labor and the Immigrant Rights Movement
By Ruth Milkman

In recent years, unions in the United States have become increasingly receptive to the idea of organizing immigrants, and more supportive of the broader immigrant rights movement. According to Milkman, "The labor movement's revival - perhaps even its survival - will depend in large part on organizing immigrant workers alongside the native-born, both in the workplace and at the ballot box.

The Origins, Effectiveness and Future of Neutrality Agreements
By Richard W. Hurd

Today's U.S. unions often use a comprehensive strategic approach to secure objectives that address the concerns of current members and facilitate new organizing. The neutrality agreement, which allows a union to organize without employer opposition, is one tool employed as part of such an approach. Hurd's article reviews the use of such agreements and considers their likely impact on the future of organizing.

BOOK REVIEW
Community Solidarity and Labor Movement Revitalization: A Review Essay
By Charles J. Whalen
Review of Labor in the New Urban Battlegrounds: Local Solidarity in a Global Economy

Spring 2007 Edition (Number 6)
This sixth edition of LERA's Perspectives Online presents three articles. Two address important current issues relating to employment and the law. In the first, William Sloanaker and Ann Wendt draw on their familiarity with an extensive employment discrimination database to identify three steps employers can take to cut discrimination claims. In the second, an official with the U.S. Department of Labor describes current reporting requirements under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act. The third article, by Perspectives editor Charles J. Whalen, reviews Rethinking Work: Time, Space and Discourse (Cambridge University Press, 2006), edited by Mark Hearn and Grant Michelson.

The first two articles serve as a preview of the Employment and the Law feature that can be found in the Summer 2007 edition of Perspectives on Work (Volume 11, Number 1). In that feature, academics and practitioners examine state minimum-wage laws, workers' compensation policies, and whistleblower protection statutes. Meanwhile, the review of Rethinking Work , a volume showcasing research conducted at Australia 's University of Sydney , sets the stage for the Summer issue of Perspectives because that edition of the journal presents a multi-article feature on Employment Relations in Australia and New Zealand . Readers are encouraged to contact LERA (at LERAoffice@uiuc.edu ) for information on the print-edition of Perspectives or to become a LERA member.

EMPLOYMENT AND THE LAW

Three Keys to Cutting Discrimination Claims
By William Sloanaker Sr. and Ann C. Wendt

Defending against employment discrimination claims can impose a high cost on an employer. Taking action that minimizes the likelihood of such claims, however, can reduce these expenses. On the basis of a review of thousands of discrimination claims, this article suggests three key steps: focus training and selection energies on front-line supervisors; implement a review policy for all decisions that could result in a job loss; and take care to clearly explain the reasons for employment actions that negatively affect a worker.

Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure: Information for Neutral Practitioners on Filing Requirements
By H. Craig Neel

In the past few years, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued new guidelines regarding the Landrum-Griffin Act's reporting and disclosure requirements. This has created opportunities for neutral practitioners in the labor-management community to engage in educational activities relating to the reporting forms that must be filed by union officials and employers. To facilitate the neutral practitioner's participation in such educational activities, this article presents a brief history of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (Landrum-Griffin) and an overview of some important filing requirements.

BOOK REVIEW

Rethinking Work: A Review Essay
By Charles J. Whalen

In Rethinking Work: Time, Space and Discourse , members of the department of work and organizational studies at the University of Sydney outline a broad and innovative approach to studying the world of work. The book succeeds as an introduction to a novel interdisciplinary approach (rooted in the concepts of time, space and discourse), a survey of current employment and industrial-relations issues, a primer on Australian labor relations, and an encapsulation of the “ Sydney School ” of work and employment relations.

Labor and Employment Relations Association
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