On Monday, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees expects more than 60,000 of its members to begin a labor strike. The move would shut down film and television production across the country, unless and until an agreement is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. They'll join several other labor union strikes that have made headlines in recent weeks, inspiring the hashtag #Striketober on social media. Currently, more than 10,000 workers at John Deere plants are on strike, following an overwhelming rejection of a new contract proposal. Another 1,400 employees of Kellogg cereal plants are also in their second week of a strike over labor negotiations.
With unemployment rates continuing to trend toward pre-pandemic levels, and a record number of employees quitting jobs in what is now termed "The Great Resignation", labor conditions and labor markets will likely be hot topics of conversation for the indefinite future. If you're interested in learning more about these topics, the U.S. Department of Labor offers helpful free topic pages on Major Laws, Labor Relations, and common worker questions like workplace safety, wage and hour laws, and whistleblower protections.
For more detailed treatment of labor law topics, try some of these legal resources:
- Labor Law in a Nutshell, 5th ed 2008 (online in West Academic Library Study Aids): provides a quick overview with concise discussion of key laws and procedures, including topics like organizational picketing, antitrust considerations, and collective bargaining agreements.
- Higgins, The Developing Labor Law: The Board, the Courts, and the National Labor Relations Act, 7th ed. 2017 (online in Bloomberg Law): this expansive treatise, updated in 2020, provides an overview of the NLRA’s history and discussion of topics like protected employee activity, the collective bargaining process, and a section on "economic action" describing strike practices.
- Lareau et al, Labor and Employment Law (available on Lexis). This treatise is recognized as a leading authority on the topic of labor law, with chapters on major topics like the NLRA, Wages and Hours, and Labor and Employment Arbitration. Lexis's Practice Area page for Labor and Employment Law includes other titles like National Labor Relations Act: Law and Practice and Wages & Hours: Law and Practice.
To locate additional titles in print or online about these topics, try a subject search of the Duke Libraries Catalog for "Labor laws and legislation -- United States" or Ask a Librarian.
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