OnLabor

Law. Workers. Organizing.

Follow OnLabor on X
Subscribe via RSS

Author:Jack Goldsmith

Jack Goldsmith is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, where he teaches and writes about national security law, international law, internet law, and, recently, labor history. Before coming to Harvard, Professor Goldsmith served as Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel from 2003-2004, and Special Counsel to the Department of Defense from 2002-2003.

Why Haven't Unions Done Better in the Obama Era?

Aug 29, 2013 Jack Goldsmith

Unions were central to the election and re-election of President Obama, and to the passage of Obamacare. But some unions are not pleased with his administration right now because on some important issues, including Obamacare, the administration seems to be working against the interests of unions and the workers they represent. “We won’t allow this […]

USG's Amicus Brief in Mulhall

Aug 22, 2013 Jack Goldsmith

And here is the United States’ amicus brief in Mulhall.

Unions' Amicus Brief in Mulhall

Aug 22, 2013 Jack Goldsmith

Here is the amicus brief filed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, Service Employees International Union, and National Education Association, in support of Petitioner UNITE HERE in Mulhall.

Three Problems in Mulhall

Aug 21, 2013 Jack Goldsmith

I have already explained why the Supreme Court’s grant of certiorari in Mulhall seemed to defy its usual criteria for cert-worthiness, and suggested that at least four members of the Court were itching to affirm. After further pondering the case, and acknowledging that Respondent’s merits brief is not yet filed, I am beginning to think […]

The Two Central Issues in Mulhall

Aug 19, 2013 Jack Goldsmith

As Ben noted, the contract at issue in Mulhall is an alternative to the Wagner Act/NLRB regime for labor organizing and bargaining. In the contract, the employer agreed to remain neutral toward union organizing efforts, to recognize the union through a majority card-check procedure (which makes it easier for unions to win than secret-ballot NLRB […]

What the Grant of Certiorari in Mulhall Means

Aug 13, 2013 Jack Goldsmith

Over the next two weeks I will be offering my preliminary thoughts on Mulhall (which Ben posted on last week). Here I will address the significance of the Court’s grant of certiorari in the case. At first I thought that pro-labor groups, gripped by understandable anxiety after the activist anti-labor decision in Knox, were overreacting […]

Hoffa's Seemingly Odd Commitments

Aug 12, 2013 Jack Goldsmith

As I mentioned, I am writing a book about Jimmy Hoffa’s historical significance in American labor, law, and politics. There are dozens of books written about Hoffa, but almost all of them focus on his disappearance on August 30, 1975 (and the vast majority of these “disappearance” books are dreadful). The best books on Hoffa’s historical […]

Fortress Unionism

Aug 10, 2013 Jack Goldsmith

Earlier this year, labor historian Melvyn Dubofsky gave a very pessimistic assessment of the prospects for the American labor movement. “Given the current alignment of forces domestically and globally,” he concluded, “I find it hard to conceive of any tactics or broader strategy through which the labor movement might re-establish its former size, place, and power.” Rick Yeselson has written […]

Why I Am Blogging About Labor

Aug 8, 2013 Jack Goldsmith

My academic fields of expertise are at the intersection of national security law and international law, and I already blog at a site devoted to these topics. One thus might wonder why I am participating in this blog on labor law and politics. The short answer is that I grew up in a labor family, I have […]

Newer
1
2
3
4

OnLabor

Law. Workers. Organizing.

OnLabor is a blog devoted to workers, unions, and their politics. We interpret our subject broadly to include the current crisis in the traditional union movement (why union decline is happening and what it means for our society); the new and contested forms of worker organization that are filling the labor union gap; how work ought to be structured and managed; how workers ought to be represented and compensated; and the appropriate role of government — all three branches — in each of these issues.

Learn more about OnLabor

OnLabor is unable to accept unsolicited submissions.

Follow OnLabor on X
Subscribe via RSS

Contact: [email protected]
Site design: Jon White Studio

Sections

All Editorial Writing
All News & Commentary
From The Editor
From Senior Contributors
Analysis From Guest Voices
OnLabor In The News
All Featured Coverage
About

Connect

Follow OnLabor on X
Subscribe via RSS

Search for:

Why Haven't Unions Done Better in the Obama Era?

USG's Amicus Brief in Mulhall

Unions' Amicus Brief in Mulhall

Three Problems in Mulhall

The Two Central Issues in Mulhall

What the Grant of Certiorari in Mulhall Means

Hoffa's Seemingly Odd Commitments

Fortress Unionism

Why I Am Blogging About Labor