Labor and Employment Law (LABOR)

This course covers common law employment doctrines (at-will employment, contract and tort erosions of at-will employment, employee duties, including the duty of loyalty and trade secrets), noncompetition agreements, and employee rights in inventions, and workplace injuries (including workers compensation, OSHA, and criminal and tort approaches to promoting a safe workplace.)

This course covers workplace privacy issues, including free speech and political protections, and defamation and related torts; anti-discrimination laws; and wage, hour, and benefits legislation, including unemployment compensation; the WARN Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act; and NLRA issues commonly encountered in the unorganized workplace.

This course will provide an overview of significant doctrinal issues in employment discrimination law, and will seek to develop students' skills through a rigorous examination of statutory law, regulations and court decisions. It will introduce students to the fundamental legal theories underlying the substantive coverage of the most significant federal equal employment opportunity laws, and legal issues regarding their application.

This course will explore the history and development of, public policy considerations for, and state and federal systems for delivery of medical and wage benefits to injured workers.

Employre-provided pension and health care programs play a critical role in the lives of individuals, families, and communities. They also affect corporations, financial markets, and the economy as a whole. Employee benefit programs are, in short, an important staple of modern law practice. This course surveys the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and relevant portions of the Internal Revenue Code. Classes examine what benefit plans must do regarding reporting and disclosure, accrual, vesting, funding, and fiduciary standards. The course covers health care reform, the shift from defined benefit to defined contribution programs, and the effect of stock market volatility on benefit programs. Throughout the semester, students examine the policy goals underpinning federal benefits law. The course surveys major issues in ERISA litigation, including that statute's claims and remedies provisions, as well as its preemption of state law.

This course is an extended study of the federal National Labor Relations Act focusing on the right to form and join labor organizations, strikes, boycotts and picketing, collective bargaining, and the enforcement of collective bargaining agreements.

Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently; several different topics may be taught in one year or term.