History of American Labor and Management

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History of American Labor and Management

• IRL 201

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Cliff Donn

• Office RH 416
• Extension 445-4484
• E-mail donn_at_lemoyne.edu
• Office Hours
• Monday 900-1020
• Wednesday 230-330

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Course Web Page

• http//web.lemoyne.edu/donn/class/irl201/irl201.h
  tm

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Educational Background

• Bachelors Industrial and Labor Relations
  Cornell
• Ph.D. Economics MIT
• Permanent Faculty positions at Macquarie
  University and University of Tennessee
• At Le Moyne since 1982

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Sources Text

• Boris and Lichtenstein, Major Problems in the
  History of American Workers
• Others on reserve (most on electronic reserve)

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Preparing for class

• How much time on each topic? See course
  outline!
• When to do the reading?
• Optional readings
• Definitions will be supplied

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Conduct of class

• Class discussion and discussion of reading
  material
• Attendance expect to be called upon every day
• Tardiness will not be tolerated
• Cell phones TURNED OFF

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Requirements - Essays

• Everyone must do one of first three topics
  (unless we agree on another)
• Can do second essay on any topic
• Note due dates
• Handout and web page specify format
• Research for essays
• Dont hand in a poor essay!
• See essay rubric on home page
• NO LATE ESSAYS ACCEPTED

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Requirements - Quizzes

• Cover only reading material
• 15 minutes at beginning of class
• No make ups except on final
• Must take two and freshmen must take the first
• Wise to prepare for them do well the first time

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Requirement - Exams

• Final Exam Thursday, May 8, 300 p.m.
• Comprehensive and enables you to make up quizzes
  and/or mid-term
• No excuses and no make ups
• Value of final depends on your choices
• Mid-term March 19 (just prior to Easter break)
• Covers class and text material
• Will take entire class
• Can be retaken on final
• Copies of questions on Home Page

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Why study history?

• For the sake of understanding the past
• For the sake of understanding the present

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Current issues we can't understand without a
background in labor history

• Why are strikes by construction workers strikes
  normally so peaceful while those by coal miners
  are so often violent?
• Why does the AFL-CIO, which almost always
  supports exclusively Democrats, maintain an
  official stance of non-partisanship?
• Why, when almost every trade union movement in
  the world at least nominally supports socialism,
  is the U.S. labor movement such a strong
  supporter of the private enterprise system?

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What is Labor History?

• Old View - History of worker organizations- i.e.
  unions and their activities
• Newer View- History of workers and their lives,
  at work, at home and in the community

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How we shall study history?

• Disinterest in names, facts, dates
• Emphasis on themes

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Examples of Themes

• Movement from agricultural to industrial to white
  collar labor force
• Impacts of immigration on work and the workforce
• Relationships between work life and community
  life
• Treatment of women and minorities by other
  workers and by management

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• Evolution of management and managerial authority
• Utopianism as an influence on the working class
• Origins and development of trade unions
• Development of craft industrial union models
• Role of strikes in the evolution of unions and
  bargaining
• Evolution of public policy on employment issues

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Modern Work Ehrenreich, Working Poor Blues

• What to look for in this article?
• How does Ehrenreich find the work the poor people
  do?
• Would you like to do those jobs? Why or why not?
  How could they be made more satisfying?
• Do the poor people Ehrenreich meets have tricks
  to reduce their expenses?

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Next Time

• Labor Market and Working Conditions in the early
  colonial period