LERA 18th Annual PhD Student Consortium
"Low-wage Work, Technological Change and other Disorganizing Factors in Labor Relations in the US and Abroad"

Saturday, May 28, 2016, 8:15 – 11:30 am
Studio A/B, Millennium Hotel, Minneapolis, MN
(Held in Conjunction with the LERA 68th Annual Meeting, May 26-29, 2016)

Sponsored by contributions from Cornell University, Rutgers University, Penn State, MIT, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Boston University, and the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto, and UCLA's IRLE.

18th PhD Student Consortium Co-Chairs:

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Nick Krachler,

Cornell University

Hao Gong,

Rutgers University

Michael D. Maffie,

Cornell University

Economic restructuring and layoffs in China, quasi self-employed Uber Drivers in the US, low-wage precarious work in Germany – all of these phenomena form part of the long-term trend of disorganization occurring in labor and employment relations since the 1980s. Even in emerging economies, relatively recently integrated into world economy, the effects of recession are starting to hit. What do these trends mean for labor and employment relations? Can we still assume nationally coherent labor relations regimes? What policies are adequate for dealing with these disorganizing trends? Finally, what does this mean for how we theoretically and empirically study these disorganizing trends? This consortium seeks to address questions like these and to discuss emerging labor relations issues, including from the perspective of intra- and cross-national comparisons. We will discuss issues like low-wage work and minimum wage policies, technological change and quasi self-employment, new voice mechanisms and forms of collaboration and coordination in organizations, as well as their underlying macro-economic drivers.

2016 LERA PhD Student Consortium Agenda

  • 8:00 – 8:30 am, Breakfast and Introductions
  • 8:30 – 9 am, Overview Talk by Harry Katz, Cornell University:  Disorganization of Labor Relations in National and International Perspective
  • 9 – 9:10 am, Break
  • 9:10 – 10:20 am, Discussion Panel: When National and International Perspectives Meet: How Context Affects Issues, Theories and Methods in the Study of Disorganizing Labor Relations
    • Speakers: Tom A. Kochan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mingwei Liu, Rutgers University; and Peter Norlander, Loyola University Chicago
  • 10:20 – 10:30 am, Break
  • 10:30 – 11:30 am, Junior Faculty Discuss: Job Market, Publishing, and Emergent Career Concerns --
    • Speakers: ChunYun Li, Rutgers University and Mark Gough, Penn State University
  • 11:45 am - 1:45 pm, LERA Presidential Luncheon - tables reserved for LERA PhD Students (Grand Ballroom Center and South)

RSVP

Please RSVP for the conference to Nick Krachler at [email protected].

The registration fee includes a badge that will provide access to both the Consortium and to the entire 4 days of LERA meetings being held May 26 - 29, 2016. Depending on fundraising, students attending the Consortium may be reimbursed all or a portion of the early-bird student rate ($110) for their meeting registration fees following the conference. You will need to be present at the consortium and sign-in, and following the conference, checks will mailed to the address you list when you sign-in.