Author Description

Labor Law Landscape is a practical resource for practitioners involved in navigating the day-to-day realities of the labor relations process. Developed by Rafael Gely, this work recognizes and addresses the increased complexities that labor relations specialists face, and provides a course through this maze to put today's labor relations rules in sharp focus. It meets the need for a clearly written practical explanation and summary of the principles of labor relations law and the important rules developed under the statutes and decisions. The guiding principle behind the Labor Law Landscape is to develop a body of general principles with the goal of assisting professionals in understanding the operation of the collective bargaining process. The text is sufficiently detailed to assist in answering troublesome questions, yet concise enough for quick reference. Labor Law Landscape takes no sides to favor neither labor nor management. The author believes that no field has more to gain from a sound and dispassionate treatment than does labor law. This resource proceeds on the assumption that a robust understanding of today's rules, and a nonpartisan appreciation of their effects, are first steps that must be taken before labor relations practice can achieve the important goal of managing workplace conflict. Organization and Structure: Chapter 1 provides a short history of the legal antecedents of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which has been since 1935, the key piece of legislation at the federal level regulating the process of collective bargaining. Chapter 2 looks at the "actors" in the labor relations process. The chapter covers the definitions of terms like "employer," "union," and "employee," as well as a description of the structure and operation of the National Labor Relations Board. Chapters 3 through 6 explore the legal issues corresponding to the three core stages of the labor relations