Bachelor of Arts in Union Leadership and Administration

Important: The School of Labor Studies underwent a comprehensive curriculum review last year and as a result there are changes to the degree offerings, programs, courses and overall requirements. Specific information will be forthcoming on this page by June 1, 2012.

The Union Leadership and Administration degree is designed to explore the theoretical and practical aspects of labor movement leadership and leadership more generally. Courses are designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of bargaining, financial and general management issues. Students who are local union officers or hold leadership positions in their unions are ideal candidates for this course of study.

Requirements: Students must complete the 5 required core courses in addition to one course from each of the following subgroups, plus a fourth of interest within the subgroups: Click here for course descriptions.

How to Run a Union:

• Union Administration
• Union Structure and Governance
• Effective Leadership: Making It All Work
• New Union Staff
• Strategic Grievance Handling

Generic:

• Leadership Theory
• Ethics in Decision Making
• Grassroots Leadership for Working America – I
• Grassroots Leadership for Working America – II
• Computer Skills for Trade Unionists 2
• Effective Communication Skills for Trade Unionists

Special Topics:

• Fiduciary Duties
• Organizing and Representing the New Workforce
• Health Benefits Future
• Bargaining in the Global Economy
• Labor Law
• Employment Law
• Labor and the American Political System
• Labor Management Partnerships

Cost

The NLC offers affordable tuition rates:

• $235.00 per credit hour for AFL-CIO affiliated union members and members of Working America, the AFL-CIO’s community affiliate.
• $285.00 per credit hour for non AFL-CIO affiliated union members

School of Labor Studies Major
Requires students to complete 30 credits – 10 required courses of 3 credits each.

Required Core Courses for All School of Labor Studies Degrees

Introduction to Labor Studies - LBCR-4000
This course introduces participants to the required writing and analytical standards of the College. Through course discussions and essays, students critically evaluate recent scholarship  practice and current issues the field of labor studies. (3 semester credits)

Labor and the Economy - LBCR-4600
This course focuses on the breakdown of the post-WWII economic order, the transition to  policies in the domestic and global economies that have been detrimental to labor, and the economic and political dynamics leading to the current global economic crisis. Topics include neoliberalism, globalization, Keynesian economic policies, and the role of labor in  developing social and economic policy. (3 semester credits)

Comparative Research Methods - LBCR-4700
Comparative Research Methods is a required course for completion of the Bachelor of Arts degree from the NLC. It is an upper-division course designed to provide student with tools for conducting social science research about various problems in connection with their work and/or their course assignments, including but not limited to the completion of a well written research design for the required Senior Project. The course examines and compares various strategies for data collection and analysis, and provides an understanding of the appropriateness of each research method for addressing specific research problems.  The pre-requisite for registration in Comparative  Research Methods is the completion of most course credits for the B.A. degree, or the verification by the instructor of a work-place problem  which the student is responsible for solving. Course requirements include the submission of a final, well researched and written Methodology paper and the instructor’s review and approval of research instruments, such as interviews, surveys or other qualitative tools, which are indicated by the chosen research methodology strategies. (3 semester credits)

Senior Seminar - LBCR-4800
This course provides an opportunity for students to integrate their cognitive skills by bringing them to bear on a specific topic relevant to their major field of study and work experience. Each  student will choose an aspect of the seminar topics for extensive independent research (Senior Project). Students will present their results in both written and oral form and will be introduced to types of research papers, methodology, and citation forms. Students will be grouped by area of interest and faculty advisor. (3 semester credits) Permission of instructor advisor required.

Senior Project - LBCR-4900
Students are required to complete a Senior Project in conjunction with the Senior Seminar. The project should emphasize the student’s role in the labor movement in conjunction with classroom experience. Students use the Senior Seminar to select a topic and faculty advisor. Both oral and written presentation of the work is presented in the Senior Seminar. (3 semester credits) Permission of instructor advisor required.

Prerequisite course requirements, credit load, and/or course availability may affect a student’s individual progress. Consult an NLC Admissions Counselor at 301-431-5440 for individual program planning.

Course Descriptions

Computer Skills for Trade Unionists Level II  COMP-3011
This class is a continuation of COMP 3010 and assumes a familiarity with the use of Windows
and Microsoft applications (word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet applications). It
covers how to use advanced features of Windows and Microsoft Office (word processing,
presentation, and spreadsheet) applications. In addition, students are introduced to the creation of
database applications. (3 semester credits)

Effective Leadership: Making It All Work LBUA-4550
One key aspect of leadership is being able to translate vision into action. This course will take
students through a number of skill sets that will help them lead more effectively. Everything
from how to run effective meetings of all kinds to better managing staff and volunteers will be 
explored. Exercises and case studies will be utilized. (3 semester credits)

Employment Law  LBST-4021
Statutes, cases, and governmental agencies that affect organizing and collective bargaining will
be explored in this class. The areas of study will include the development of public policy,
employee rights, employee representation, duty to bargain, arbitration, economic pressure, and
the duty of fair representation. (3 semester credits)

Ethics in Decision Making  LBHU-4170
This course examines choices through an ethical lens and the study of ethical theories as applied
to a series of moral problems. Issues from the workplace will be examined to see which
principles of right conduct, if any, clarify, guide, or determine their decisions. Labor case
problems will be included. (3 semester credits)

Fiduciary Duties  LBUA-4030
This course will outline the legal duties of trustees regarding pension fund management. Trustees
will develop a full understanding of the fiduciary requirements imposed by ERISA and how
ERISA affects the investment decision-making process. The class will analyze relationships
between fiduciary responsibility and capital stewardship. Topics covered will include the
exclusive benefit rule, the duty of loyalty, procedural prudence, diversification, prohibited
transactions, and the role of Qualified Professional Asset Managers. (3 semester credits)

Grassroots Leadership for Working America l  LBUA-3550
This is a grassroots leadership course designed to develop critical leadership skills for union
activists. The first five weeks of the course will provide students with an economic and historical
analysis leading to the present U.S. situation. It includes descriptive and analytical readings of
the present day situation for U.S. workers. Each student will conduct research and then become
politically active in a local issue they are concerned about—both online and in their community.
Students who participate in the first five weeks will receive one credit. (1 semester credit)

Grassroots Leadership for Working America II  LBUA-3551
During the final nine weeks, for two additional credits, students will carry out a detailed analysis
of a local issue(s) of concern to them and their community. They will then select one issue to
focus a mini-campaign around. The mini-campaign will be comprised of a series of activities that
will influence the outcome of the selected issue. Students will learn about and be exposed to
many grassroots campaign skills that will be used during their campaign. (2 semester credits)

Labor and the American Political System  LBST-4030
Difficult times demand new skills and the election in November, 2008, changed the rules of the
game. LBST 4030 provides a modern overview of the fundamentals of the American political
system, examining the institutions and processes involved in both electing and governing.
Students will receive basic knowledge of how the government works and how to work the
system. In addition, students will engage in critical analysis of the mainstreams of American
political thought, from the writings of such noted thinkers as Machiavelli, Jefferson, Adams and
others. Of equal importance is a critical review of labor’s political involvement in domestic
policymaking, from the Workingmen’s Associations to the modern AFL-CIO “Labor 2008”
political campaign. Understanding labor’s involvement in the political system provides insights
into how labor can gain greater political power and advance the trade union movement agenda.
(3 semester credits)

Labor Law  LBST-4020
The emphasis in this labor law course will not be on learning the rulings in the most recent labor
board or court decisions (though those are important, and students will study them.) As labor law
has become increasingly politicized in recent years, the holdings of court cases change more
dramatically than in years prior, with each new administration and with each new set of political
appointees reinterpreting the law to fit their political agendas. So the focus will be on the key
issues in labor law and the underlying arguments on both sides, so students can understand not
only what the law says but how the law has changed—and will change again. The primary
statute focused on is the National Labor Relations Act, covering many (but not nearly all) private
sector workers. This is the law that most public sector bargaining statutes draw from most
heavily, so it is useful for all to understand the provisions of the NLRA. But this class will also
look at how the various state and local labor laws vary from the NLRA, as well as how the
administrative agencies enforcing those laws sometimes function differently from the National
Labor Relations Board. (3 semester credits)

Labor Management Partnerships  LBUA-4400
This class is designed for union leaders, staff and activists who want to consider alternative
relationships with both public and private employers, to understand the concepts of labor
management partnerships, and to evaluate their viability within varying and volatile
environments and bargaining relationships.  (3 semester credits)

Leadership Theory  LBUA-4510
The course will compare selected leadership styles and strategies, test how they appear to work,
observe whether or not they can predict success, and explore how their major components can be
learned or acquired. One challenge will be to then decide whether or not such a set of behaviors
constitute a “leadership theory.” The text will be augmented by selected articles which examine
some of the more familiar contemporary leadership strategies or “leadership theory.” Students
will prepare a major paper which seeks to convert the behavior and/or experiences of  a student
identified, actual leader into a model for successful leadership. (3 semester credits)

Organizing and Representing the New Workforce LBOR-4180
As new immigrants and young workers enter the workforce in ever larger numbers, there are
many new challenges for unions to face in involving these workers in the union movement, 36
especially in organizing and bargaining campaigns. This course will explore the challenges and
opportunities this new workforce brings to the labor movement, and look for solutions in both
historical and present day campaigns. Questions of race and gender and how the union
movement deals with these issues will also be explored. (3 semester credits)

Union Administration  LBUA-4900
This course will provide a comprehensive understanding of virtually all aspects of the
administration of unions. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of situations and problems
encountered by union officials in carrying out their duties. (3 semester credits)

Union Structure and Governance  LBOR-4151
This course examines union governing and administrative structures and functions at the local
union, district or regional, and national levels within the framework of the local central body, the
state labor council, and a national federation (AFL-CIO). (3 semester credits)