Kate Bronfenbrenner
Encyclopedia
Kate Bronfenbrenner is the Director of Labor Education Research at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations
. She is a leading authority on successful strategies in labor union organizing, and on the effects of outsourcing
and offshoring
on workers and worker rights
.
in 1954. Her father was the noted developmental psychologist
Urie Bronfenbrenner
.
Bronfenbrenner obtained a Bachelor of Science
degree from Cornell University
in 1976, and earned her doctorate
from Cornell in 1993.
She worked as a union organizer for the United Woodcutters Association in Mississippi
from 1980 to 1981, and as a union field representative providing collective bargaining
and contract administration for SEIU
Local 285 (now part of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
) in Boston
from 1981 to 1986.
Her experience in the labor movement led her to seek a doctorate in labor studies at Cornell. She was appointed an adjunct instructor at Cornell's ILR Extension Division, teaching from 1986 to 1991. While writing her dissertation
, Bronfenbrenner was appointed an assistant professor and Labor Education Coordinator in the Department of Labor Studies and Industrial Relations at Penn State University in 1991.
Upon receipt of her Ph.D. in 1993, Bronfenbrenner left Penn State and was appointed director of labor education research at the Cornell ILR School
in 1993.
and survey techniques
to a field which had been dominated by case studies
. Her most notable contribution in this regard were two papers. The first was the 1994 paper 'The Promise of Union Organizing in the Public and Private Sectors,' co-authored with Tom Juravich
. In 1995, Bronfenbrenner and Juravich co-wrote a second work, 'Union Tactics Matter: The Impact of Union Tactics on Certification Elections, First Contracts, and Membership Rates.' Based on Bronfenbrenner's doctoral dissertation, the two papers were widely distributed throughout the labor movement and had a significant impact in promoting union organizing as a key issue in the 1995 AFL-CIO
presidential race. Both papers have been combined, updated and published, in various journals and books, a number of times since then.
Bronfenbrenner is also well-known for her studies of anti-union tactics utilized by employers in NLRB
-sponsored union organizing elections. In 1995, Bronfenbrenner and Juravich co-wrote 'The Impact of Employer Opposition on Union Certification Win Rates: A Private/Public Sector Comparison.' Previously, individual labor unions—and, to a lesser extent, the AFL-CIO—had collected anecdotal evidence on employer anti-union tactics and strategies. Much of this work was kept secret, for fear that anti-union employers would realize that unions were learning how to respond and modify and improve their anti-union tactics accordingly. This 1995 paper, however, brought this research agenda into the open and made it a topic for academic discussion. The paper grouped and categorized anti-union tactics and strategies, and used surveys and statistical analysis to judge their effectiveness. This paper also had a galvanizing effect on the American labor movement, creating a behind-the-scenes cottage industry in analyzing anti-union consultants and anti-union organizing campaign tactics. The work of the AFL-CIO-affiliated organization, American Rights at Work
, and its opposite number, the employer-financed Center for Union Facts
, both stem from the emphasis on opposition research
engendered by Bronfenbrenner's paper. Data cited in the paper was heavily relied on by proponents of the Employee Free Choice Act
(EFCA). EFCA opponents dispute much of her statistical assertions, claiming that they are derived from uncorroborated reports of biased union organizers.
To a lesser extent, Bronfenbrenner conducted research and written on the impact of outsourcing and offshoring, and the effect they have on workers, wages, employment and unions in the United States
and around the world. In 2006, Bronfenbrenner brought more than 550 trade unionists and scholars from 53 countries to discuss union initiatives in strategic corporate research, global organizing and global collective bargaining campaigns; exchange research on the changing nature of multinational corporate
ownership and governance structures, human resources
practices, and business strategies; and to discuss ways in which labor unions and academics could work together to enhance their understanding of multinational corporations.http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/globalunionsconference/
Bronfenbrenner's best-known work, however, is mostly likely Ravenswood: The Steelworkers' Victory and the Revival of American Labor, co-authored with Tom Juravich.
in 1994. In 1998, the Labor Party
named her the recipient of its first-ever Karen Silkwood Award. In 1999, the Industrial Relations Research Association gave her their Young Scholar Award.
Bronfenbrenner is an editorial board member of New Labor Forum
, a journal of labor studies published by Queens College
http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/newlaborforum/, and Labor Studies Journal
, a multi-disciplinary publication about workers and labor organizations published by the United Association for Labor Education
and West Virginia University
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/labor_studies_journal/http://www.uale.org/
Bronfenbrenner is a member of the United Association for Labor Education (formed by the merger of Workers' Education Local 189, Communications Workers of America
, AFL-CIO, and the University and College Labor Educators Association), and the Industrial Relations Research Association.
Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations
The New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations is an industrial relations school at Cornell University, an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, USA...
. She is a leading authority on successful strategies in labor union organizing, and on the effects of outsourcing
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the process of contracting a business function to someone else.-Overview:The term outsourcing is used inconsistently but usually involves the contracting out of a business function - commonly one previously performed in-house - to an external provider...
and offshoring
Offshoring
Offshoring describes the relocation by a company of a business process from one country to another—typically an operational process, such as manufacturing, or supporting processes, such as accounting. Even state governments employ offshoring...
on workers and worker rights
Labor rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are a group of legal rights and claimed human rights having to do with labor relations between workers and their employers, usually obtained under labor and employment law. In general, these rights' debates have to do with negotiating workers' pay, benefits, and safe...
.
Life and education
Kate Bronfenbrenner was born in Ithaca, New YorkIthaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
in 1954. Her father was the noted developmental psychologist
Developmental psychology
Developmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes, emotional changes, and perception changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to...
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Urie Bronfenbrenner was a Russian American psychologist, known for developing his Ecological Systems Theory, and as a co-founder of the Head Start program in the United States for disadvantaged pre-school children....
.
Bronfenbrenner obtained a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1976, and earned her doctorate
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Cornell in 1993.
Career
After earning her undergraduate degree, Bronfenbrenner worked as a welfare rights coordinator for the Fremont Public Association (a nonprofit human services delivery group) in Seattle from 1978 to 1979.She worked as a union organizer for the United Woodcutters Association in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
from 1980 to 1981, and as a union field representative providing collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
and contract administration for SEIU
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
Local 285 (now part of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
1199SEIU is a local union of the Service Employees International Union. With a membership of 360,000 it claims to be the largest local union in the world.-History:...
) in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
from 1981 to 1986.
Her experience in the labor movement led her to seek a doctorate in labor studies at Cornell. She was appointed an adjunct instructor at Cornell's ILR Extension Division, teaching from 1986 to 1991. While writing her dissertation
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
, Bronfenbrenner was appointed an assistant professor and Labor Education Coordinator in the Department of Labor Studies and Industrial Relations at Penn State University in 1991.
Upon receipt of her Ph.D. in 1993, Bronfenbrenner left Penn State and was appointed director of labor education research at the Cornell ILR School
Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations
The New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations is an industrial relations school at Cornell University, an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, USA...
in 1993.
Research focus
Bronfenbrenner is a highly regarded expert on labor union organizing and collective bargaining strategies. She introduced rigorous statistical methodologyStatistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
and survey techniques
Statistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
to a field which had been dominated by case studies
Case study
A case study is an intensive analysis of an individual unit stressing developmental factors in relation to context. The case study is common in social sciences and life sciences. Case studies may be descriptive or explanatory. The latter type is used to explore causation in order to find...
. Her most notable contribution in this regard were two papers. The first was the 1994 paper 'The Promise of Union Organizing in the Public and Private Sectors,' co-authored with Tom Juravich
Tom Juravich
Tom Juravich is a professor of Labor Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is also the director of the UMass Amherst Labor Relations and Research Center , and director of the LRRC's Union Leadership and Administration program....
. In 1995, Bronfenbrenner and Juravich co-wrote a second work, 'Union Tactics Matter: The Impact of Union Tactics on Certification Elections, First Contracts, and Membership Rates.' Based on Bronfenbrenner's doctoral dissertation, the two papers were widely distributed throughout the labor movement and had a significant impact in promoting union organizing as a key issue in the 1995 AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
presidential race. Both papers have been combined, updated and published, in various journals and books, a number of times since then.
Bronfenbrenner is also well-known for her studies of anti-union tactics utilized by employers in NLRB
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
-sponsored union organizing elections. In 1995, Bronfenbrenner and Juravich co-wrote 'The Impact of Employer Opposition on Union Certification Win Rates: A Private/Public Sector Comparison.' Previously, individual labor unions—and, to a lesser extent, the AFL-CIO—had collected anecdotal evidence on employer anti-union tactics and strategies. Much of this work was kept secret, for fear that anti-union employers would realize that unions were learning how to respond and modify and improve their anti-union tactics accordingly. This 1995 paper, however, brought this research agenda into the open and made it a topic for academic discussion. The paper grouped and categorized anti-union tactics and strategies, and used surveys and statistical analysis to judge their effectiveness. This paper also had a galvanizing effect on the American labor movement, creating a behind-the-scenes cottage industry in analyzing anti-union consultants and anti-union organizing campaign tactics. The work of the AFL-CIO-affiliated organization, American Rights at Work
American Rights at Work
American Rights at Work is a U.S. self-described nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates for workers and their right to form unions without interference....
, and its opposite number, the employer-financed Center for Union Facts
Center for Union Facts
The Center for Union Facts is an interest group critical of union officials’ activities. It is one of several advocacy and public relations groups created by Richard Berman...
, both stem from the emphasis on opposition research
Opposition research
Opposition research is:# The term used to classify and describe efforts of supporters or paid consultants of a political candidate to legally investigate the biographical, legal or criminal, medical, educational, financial, public and private administrative and or voting records of the opposing...
engendered by Bronfenbrenner's paper. Data cited in the paper was heavily relied on by proponents of the Employee Free Choice Act
Employee Free Choice Act
The Employee Free Choice Act was a legislative bill that was introduced into both chambers of the U.S. Congress on March 10, 2009. The bill's purpose was to,...
(EFCA). EFCA opponents dispute much of her statistical assertions, claiming that they are derived from uncorroborated reports of biased union organizers.
To a lesser extent, Bronfenbrenner conducted research and written on the impact of outsourcing and offshoring, and the effect they have on workers, wages, employment and unions in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and around the world. In 2006, Bronfenbrenner brought more than 550 trade unionists and scholars from 53 countries to discuss union initiatives in strategic corporate research, global organizing and global collective bargaining campaigns; exchange research on the changing nature of multinational corporate
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
ownership and governance structures, human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
practices, and business strategies; and to discuss ways in which labor unions and academics could work together to enhance their understanding of multinational corporations.http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/globalunionsconference/
Bronfenbrenner's best-known work, however, is mostly likely Ravenswood: The Steelworkers' Victory and the Revival of American Labor, co-authored with Tom Juravich.
Awards and memberships
Bronfenbrenner was tapped to deliver the Rogin Lectureship at the George Meany Center for Labor StudiesNational Labor College
The National Labor College is the only accredited higher education institution in the United States devoted exclusively to educating union members, leaders and staff. It was established as a training center by the AFL-CIO in 1969 to strengthen union member education and organizing skills...
in 1994. In 1998, the Labor Party
Labor Party (United States)
The Labor Party is an American social democratic political party advocating workers' interests. Membership at one point reached about 5,000....
named her the recipient of its first-ever Karen Silkwood Award. In 1999, the Industrial Relations Research Association gave her their Young Scholar Award.
Bronfenbrenner is an editorial board member of New Labor Forum
New Labor Forum
New Labor Forum is a labor journal founded in the Fall of 1997 by the Center for Labor, Community, and Policy Studies, at the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies of the City University of New York...
, a journal of labor studies published by Queens College
Queens College, City University of New York
Queens College, located in Flushing, Queens, New York City, is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. It is also the fifth oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning. The college's seventy seven acre campus is located in the heart of the...
http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/newlaborforum/, and Labor Studies Journal
Labor Studies Journal
Labor Studies Journal is a multi-disciplinary academic publication about workers and labor organizations in the United States as well as internationally. It was founded in 1975....
, a multi-disciplinary publication about workers and labor organizations published by the United Association for Labor Education
United Association for Labor Education
United Association for Labor Education is an international association for post-secondary, community, union and associated labor educators based in Chicago, Illinois....
and West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/labor_studies_journal/http://www.uale.org/
Bronfenbrenner is a member of the United Association for Labor Education (formed by the merger of Workers' Education Local 189, Communications Workers of America
Communications Workers of America
Communications Workers of America is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States representing about 550,000 members in both the private and public sectors. The union has 27 locals in Canada via CWA-SCA Canada representing about 8,000 members...
, AFL-CIO, and the University and College Labor Educators Association), and the Industrial Relations Research Association.
Published works
Solely authored works
- 'The American Labor Movement and the Resurgence in Union Organizing.' In Trade Union Renewal and Organizing: A Comparative Study of Trade Union Movements in Five Countries. Peter Fairbrother and Charlotte Yates, eds. London: Cassell Academic, 2002.
- 'Changing to Organize.' The Nation. 273:7 (September 13, 2001).
- 'Employer Behavior in Certification Elections and First Contracts: Implications for Labor Law Reform.' In Restoring the Promise of American Labor Law. Sheldon Friedman, Richard Hurd, Rudy Oswald and Ronald Seeber, eds. Ithaca N.Y.: ILR Press, 1994. ISBN 0-87546-326-6
- 'The Evolution of Strategic and Coordinated Bargaining Campaigns in the 1990s: The Steelworkers' Experience.' In Rekindling the Movement: Labor's Quest for Relevance in the 21st Century. Lowell Turner, Harry C. Katz, and Richard W. Hurd, eds. Ithaca, N.Y.: ILR Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8014-8712-9
- Finale Report: The Effects of Plant Closing or Threat of Plant Closing on the Right of Workers to Organize. Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation. Dallas, Tex.: Bernan Press, 1997.
- 'Organizing Women: The Nature and Process of Union Organizing Efforts among U.S. Women Workers since the mid-1990s.' Work and Occupations. 32:4 (November 2005).
- 'The Role of Union Strategies in NLRB Certification Elections.' Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 50:2 (January, 1997).
Co-authored works
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Hickey, Rob. Blueprint for Change: A National Assessment of Winning Union Organizing Strategies. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell Office of Labor Education Research, 2003.
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Hickey, Rob. 'Changing to Organize: A National Assessment of Union Organizing Strategies.' In Rebuilding Labor: Organizing and Organizers in the New Union Movement. Ruth Milkman and Kim Voss, eds. Ithaca, N.Y.: ILR Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8014-8902-4
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Juravich, Tom. 'The Impact of Employer Opposition on Union Certification Win Rates: A Private/Public Sector Comparison.' Working paper no. 113, Economic Policy Institute, Washington, D.C. 1995.
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Juravich, Tom. 'Introduction: Bringing the Study of Work Back to Labor Studies.' Labor Studies Journal. 30:1 (Spring 2005).
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Juravich, Tom. 'Out of the Ashes: The Steelworkers' Global Campaign at Bridgestone/Firestone.' In Multinational Companies and Global Human Resource Strategies. William N. Cooke, ed. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2003. ISBN 1-56720-583-6
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Juravich, Tom. The Promise of Union Organizing in the Public and Private Sectors. Working paper, Institute for the Study of Labor Organizations, George Meany Center for Labor Studies, Silver Spring, Md. 1994.
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Juravich, Tom. Ravenswood: The Steelworkers' Victory and the Revival of American Labor. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press/ILR Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8014-8666-1
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Juravich, Tom. 'Significant Victories.' In Justice on the Job. Richard N. Block, Sheldon Friedman, Michelle Kaminski and Andy Levin, eds. Kalamazoo, Mich.: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 2006. ISBN 0-88099-278-6
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Juravich, Tom. Staying Union: The Dynamics of Union Success in Public Sector Decertification Campaigns. Washington, D.C.: AFL-CIO, 1995.
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Juravich, Tom. Union Organizing in the Public Sector: An Analysis of State and Local Elections. Ithaca, N.Y.: ILR Press, 1995. ISBN 0-87546-347-9
- Bronfenbrenner, Kate and Juravich, Tom. 'Union Tactics Matter: The Impact of Union Tactics on Certification Elections, First Contracts, and Membership Rates.' Working paper, Institute for the Study of Labor Organizations, George Meany Center for Labor Studies, Silver Spring, Md. 1995.
- Rashke, Richard L. and Bronfenbrenner, Kate. The Killing of Karen Silkwood: The Story Behind the Kerr-McGee Plutonium Case. 2d ed. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8014-8667-X
Co-edited works
- Organizing to Win: New Research on Union Strategies. Kate Bronfenbrenner, Sheldon Friedman, Richard W. Hurd, Rudolph A. Oswald and Ronald L. Seeber, eds. Ithaca, N.Y.: ILR Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8014-8446-4
External links
- American Rights at Work
- Center for Union Facts
- Employee Free Choice Act Updates - A pro-business website tracking status of legislation