So far with this program, I have managed to complete courses on Title VII, Sexual Harassment, Legal writing, etc. But one course, in particular, has really resonated with me in ways that I would never imagine. This course you may ask is the one on Labor Unions. Prior to taking this course, I have heard of Labor unions but in the eyes of the employee. "Oh I have a Labor union with my company, My job is protected". So I have naturally all of my life assumed that having a credit union could really be a good thing and that employers enjoy having credit unions. If everyone is happy, then why not?
Naively have I been to enter into this course and still had this belief. When I first logged in to take the course, I noticed that the professor was Joel Freedman who is the director of the MJ program at Tulane. And I admit I was a little nervous because I knew that it would have some sort of rigor in comparison to the other courses that I have had to take before. At first, I really had no interest in taking this course and was sort of bothered by the fact that this was a mandatory class. I just kept saying to myself, where I live in Lafayette, LA (and the surrounding areas) there aren't really many unionized companies- so how would this course help me?
After, digging into the first few weeks of reviewing modules. I surprisingly took a keen interest in this course. I began to research while submitting assignments and have learned that I was completely wrong and that there were so many more unions than I had imagined. I soon learned all about the initial process and the bargaining unit. I have also learned about what companies and employers can and cannot do with Labor Unions. They can legally pursue employees not to join, however, they can not stop employees from joining and or creating a union. I have also learned new terms such as bargaining and the way negotiations are held between a union and the employer. And lastly, I have learned all about the process that goes into the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the repercussions if an employer in any way tries to go against this agreement.
Interestingly enough, I was excited to take this course. I looked forward to each week learning new content that surrounded Labor Unions. I prepared in advance for my paper summarizing what I learned in the course, by paying close attention to the detail for Professor Freedman was looking for. And with all of the hard work and preparation that went into this- I made an A. I was so proud of myself because I knew how hard this professor graded and I was able to prove to myself that I can do the unthinkable.
My Learning Experience about Labor Credit Unions © 2022 by Erika Flory is licensed underCC BY 4.0
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