PUBLIC SECTOR LABOR LAW

Catalog description

This two-credit, in-person course examines the laws governing employees' and unions' rights to organize and bargain collectively in California's public sector. It also reviews key parallels and differences between California's public sector labor laws and the National Labor Relations Act, along with statutory distinctions among California's governmental entities. Topics include the history of California labor law and the Public Employment Relations Board; the unionization process; protections against unfair practices; strikes; select constitutional issues; and enforcement of collective bargaining agreements. Guest speakers will address current developments such as gig-driver unionization, strikes, and the practical realities of public sector collective bargaining and mediation. The semester concludes with a panel of attorneys discussing their careers in public sector labor and government law. This course complements Labor Law (Law 447), the core private-sector course. Students are encouraged to take both, as many public sector principles derive from private sector precedent developed under the National Labor Relations Act.