MVV318K Labor Law Disputes in Common Law Courts

Faculty of Law
Autumn 2020
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Taught online.
Teacher(s)
Patrick Casey Leisure, J.D., LL.M. (seminar tutor), doc. JUDr. Ing. Michal Radvan, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
doc. JUDr. Ing. Michal Radvan, Ph.D.
Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Mgr. Věra Redrupová, B.A.
Supplier department: Faculty of Law
Timetable of Seminar Groups
MVV318K/01: Mon 2. 11. 16:00–17:40 Virtuální místnost, 18:00–19:40 Virtuální místnost, Tue 3. 11. 18:00–19:40 Virtuální místnost, Wed 4. 11. 18:00–19:40 Virtuální místnost, Thu 5. 11. 18:00–19:40 Virtuální místnost, P. Leisure
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 12/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 38 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
At the end of the course, students will have an in-depth understanding of the most important dynamics at play in the field of labor law. With a primary focus on the US, the course will utilize five famous labor law cases to illustrate the importance of these dynamics in real-world labor disputes. The course will highlight the historical, political, and cultural underpinnings of labor law in common law countries. Students will be able to evaluate the operation of employment law from both an employer and an employee’s perspective, analyze the legal issues surrounding the recruitment and deployment of employees and think critically about employment disputes in common law courts.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the most important dynamics at play in the field of labor law, including: who is covered, what is an employee, who is a worker, what is work, and what is the nature of the employer-employee relationship?
2) Critically analyze complex problems in employment law, apply the legal principles studied to these problems, evaluate competing arguments and solutions and present well-supported conclusions and advice.
3) Trace the development of litigation concerning gender and race discrimination under Title 7 of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in the US to the current legal framework of discrimination.
4) Compare the right to strike in the US legal system with that in the EU and understand how the right to freedom of association is key to collective bargaining in employment law.
5) Apply the current legal framework in place to new developments which challenge prior work classifications, like Uber, Lift, and other platform technology companies.
Syllabus
  • SESSION 1: Introduction to Labor Law: Goals and Key Concepts
  • - Introduction to the course, what the goals of labor law are, universality in labor law, the scope of labor law, recurring themes in labor law, and the fundamental actors in labor law.
  • - Case Study: Lochner v. U.S. 198 U.S. 45. (1905)
  • SESSION 2: “Equal Pay for Equal Work”: labor law, gender and equality
  • - The 1964 Civil Rights Act and ten employment discrimination cases under Title VII that impacted the workplace in the US.
  • - Case Study: Lee v. Ashers Baking Company Ltd and others [2018] IRLR 1116 SC
  • SESSION 3: “I have a dream”: labor law, race and discrimination
  • - Further study of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the difference between disparate treatment and disparate impact, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
  • - Case Study: Ricci v. DeStefano, 557 U.S. 557 (2009)
  • SESSION 4: Collective Bargaining and the Right to Strike
  • - Historical trajectory of collective bargaining in the US, ‘New Deal’ legislation, Supreme Court interpretations, comparison of the US approach with the balance in the European Union between the right to strike and the four freedoms.
  • - Case Study: Saskatchewan Federation of Labour v. Saskatchewan, [2015] 1 S.C.R. 245
  • SESSION 5: Labor Law in the 21st Century? New Technology, “New Work” and New Challenges. Can Labor law keep up?
  • - A return to some of our fundamental questions posed in our first class (who is a worker and what is work) and their application to the new tech platforms that are a major force in the modern economy.
  • - Case Study: Cotter v. Lyft, Inc. 60 F. Supp. 3d 1067 (N.D. Cal. 2015).
Literature
  • Legislation, scholarly articles, and weekly case studies to be distributed before class.
Teaching methods
Lectures, case studies and discussion.
Assessment methods
This course will be primarily graded by a final paper. Students are encouraged to choose a topic of interest to them. Please see the document on rubric and topic suggestions. Papers are to be written in English and will be due three weeks after the conclusion of the class.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
Teacher's information
Syllabus:

See separate course Syllabus distributed to those enrolled (via Learning Materials).


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