Doctoral Dissertation Research: Old Rights, New Movements: Collective Rights and the Contemporary US Labor Movement

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This research investigates how existing rights are reinvigorated through "re-purposing" into new claims. The research focuses on variation in claiming and success rates by unions and other worker organizations who pursue claims under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, which also applies to workers not covered under current collective bargaining agreements. Much of the existing literature has focused on the pursuit or introduction of new policies and new laws as a catalyst to greater rights claiming, whereas the current project identifies the mechanisms by which organizations transform existing policies to permit enhanced success and improved mobilization. Moreover, in contrast to much of the existing literature, the research investigates whether institutional characteristics, including the presence or absence of specific movement-related institutions, explains the variation in claiming and success rates. As such, the current project has the potential of new insights and theoretical advance across several existing fields in socio-legal studies. The research plan relies on statistical analysis of case outcomes of claims brought under the National Labor Relations Act since 2000, textual analysis of associated National Labor Relations Board documents, and interviews with both worker organization staff and National Labor Relations Board officials.