MKMG 338 Labor Relations Course Guide

Course Description  

A broad treatment of labor-management relations in both the private and public sectors, the course will encompass:

  • Historical development of the Labor Movement
  • Modern society and Industrial relations
  • Management philosophy regarding Employee Relations and Organized Labor
  • Labor legislation and its social, economic, and political impact
  • Collective bargaining, its scope and process
  • Contract administration principles and practices
  • Labor relations issues and trends 
     

Specific, Assessable Learning Objectives 

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Understand the history and legal protections arising from the Labor Movement, and reaction by management to those events, in the United States.
  2. Understand the relationships within the Labor Movement in the United States, as well as with management and government.
  3. Understand the concepts of organizing, contract administration, and contract negotiation.
  4. Demonstrate as a team member collective bargaining skills in contract negotiation, on behalf of labor or management, in a mock negotiation exercise.
  5. Understand the dynamics and strategies used in collective bargaining.
  6. Understand the three major sections of a negotiated contract: Economic, Administrative, and Institutional.
  7. Understand the role of the Labor Movement in public sector organizations, as compared to private sector business.
  8. Understand the differences that exist between labor organizations in the United States and in other industrial societies.
  9. Understand the role of the Labor Movement in multinational corporations and globalization.
  10. Understand the role of mediation, arbitration, and other dispute resolution techniques in collective bargaining and grievance consideration.
  11. Understand emerging issues and trends occurring in the workplace, affecting labor-management relations.
  12. Speak and write effectively in communicating questions, opinions and arguments in all work assigned. 
     

Course Outline 

  • Overview of Labor-Management relationship today
  • History of the U.S. Labor Movement (1700’s – present)
  • Legal /Legislative reaction to the U.S Labor Movement
  • Organization of the Labor Movement
  • How unions are formed
  • Negotiation techniques for Collective Bargaining
  • Contract administration, including resolving differences
  • Contractual major issues: Economic, Administrative, Institutional
  • Labor Relations in the public sector
  • Labor Relations in Multinational Corporations and other countries
  • Current issues and trends in Labor Relations
  • Mock Negotiation Exercise 
     

Recommended Teaching Methodology 

The primary method of teaching should be interactive lecture and class discussion. Professorial presentations should clarify and amplify text material, providing students with the opportunity to engage in discussion regarding course topics. Professors should guard against lecturing in the traditional sense, where text material is repeated in a different format. Students must be actively engaged in the learning process.

Secondary methods include the discussion of relevant articles and cases that provide examples and insight into the workings of Labor Relations. Articles and cases may be assigned for either oral or written presentation and discussion.

Professors may also choose to assign outside activities such as research reports related to specific topics. Finally, a Mock Negotiation Exercise shall be conducted to ensure all students demonstrate the ability to collectively bargain, following their preparation of relevant bargaining proposals. 
 

Recommended Assessment Measures 

  1. The primary method for assessing the attainment of knowledge will be periodic and final exams. Exams must be designed to assess the student’s level of understanding and ability to discuss material, from the text and class discussions, that is directly related to the learning objective as stated above. Exam questions should be grouped to allow for separate assessment of each learning objective. All exams should contain a significant portion of essay or short answer questions. Professors teaching this course should consult with colleagues to attain a comparable level of rigor across sections.
  2. Short written and oral assignments, including case studies, should be used to assess the attainment of learning objectives. Criteria for evaluating assignments must be clearly identified and explained by the professor, and consistently applied to all work throughout the semester. Students must receive detailed feedback on all assignments, with feedback related to both content and communication effectiveness.
  3. Quizzes may be used to ascertain the level of preparation on a regular basis.
  4. Class participation should be evaluated in some way to assess learning objectives and communication skill. Class participation should account for a relatively significant portion of the overall grade. Criteria for evaluating participation must be clearly identified and explained by the professor.
  5. Students will be evaluated on their contributions to the Mock Negotiation Exercise’s planning and execution.


Statement of Expectations 

Labor Relations is an elective course. Most of the learning that will take place will not happen in the classroom. Students should understand that most learning takes place when
they are working on the material outside of class, when they are reading, thinking, critically analyzing, and applying concepts and techniques to business world examples. The amount that students learn and the level of skill that is developed will be directly related to the amount of effort that is expended. Classes are opportunities to discuss and apply the material, and to develop communication and leadership skills. They are also opportunities for professors to provide insight, to help students attain understanding, and for the evaluation of performance. Students should expect that the average weekly workload in this course will be three hours in class plus a minimum of six hours of studying and assignment preparation. 

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills 

Satisfactory completion of MKMG 211, Organization and Management
 

Institutional Mechanism for Providing Feedback for Continuous Quality Improvement 

Individual professors teaching this course will evaluate each student based on course specific knowledge. Performance assessments will be summarized and reported to the Department Head or a designate, with separate assessments for relevant learning outcomes. Performance assessments from multiple sections and professors will be compiled into a single comparative report. This report will be used for overall evaluation of the course and for control purposes. Any deficiencies in attaining learning outcomes will be addressed and appropriate changes designed to improve the probability of attaining these objectives.