Labor Education and Research Center
Robert Bussel, Director
541-346-5054
541-346-2790 fax
1675 Agate St.
1289 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1289
The Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) was established at the University of Oregon in 1977 by the Oregon Legislative Assembly to serve the educational and research needs of Oregon workers and their organizations. LERC has an advisory board that includes representatives from state labor organizations. A campus advisory committee also works with LERC faculty members on campus educational programs.
The center serves as a liaison between members of Oregon’s labor community and the state university system. Research and educational programs provide a catalyst for interaction among labor leaders, public officials, arbitrators, labor relations specialists, and members of the academic community.
The center produces educational programs including seminars, conferences, and short courses on campus and throughout the state. It offers training and education to unionists in grievance handling, arbitration, collective bargaining, health and safety, and issues of concern in today’s complex and rapidly changing economy. Most of these programs are offered without credit.
The broader labor relations community of arbitrators, mediators, and labor relations professionals is served through LERC’s conferences and programs on public- and private-sector labor law, worker participation, and labor-management cooperation.
Faculty members are engaged in research on current and emerging issues in labor relations and working life. Areas of research include the changing environment and structure of collective bargaining, sustainability and green jobs, immigration and Oregon’s changing workforce, workplace health and safety, economic justice and the low-wage economy, privatization, and worker rights in organizing and dispute resolution.
For students enrolled at the University of Oregon, the LERC faculty teaches for-credit courses in academic departments on topics such as labor history, labor policy, and economic justice. In addition, LERC also provides a participatory learning experience for undergraduate students, an intensive internship with Oregon labor organizations on research and related projects—Supervised Field Study (LERC 406). Students earn 4 credits each term of the internship. To participate, students must get preapproval from the LERC faculty.
The center’s faculty members work with a student to determine how a LERC course fits into his or her academic program. Faculty members are available to students for consultation related to the center’s interest areas. More information is available from the center.
LERC in Portland
LERC offices in Portland offer services to the metropolitan area through general and specialized programs. The Portland office is located in the University of Oregon’s White Stag Block at 70 NW Couch Street, Suite 353; telephone 503-412-3721.
The Labor Education and Research Center is a member of the United Association for Labor Education and the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association.
Faculty
Robert Bussel, associate professor. BA, 1973, Cornell; MEd, 1983, Rutgers; PhD, 1993, Cornell. (2002)
Barbara Byrd, senior instructor; coordinator, Portland Center. BA, 1971, Rice; MS, 1978, Massachusetts at Amherst; PhD, 1988, Texas, Austin. (1994)
Lynn M. Feekin, senior instructor. BA, 1972, Northern Iowa. (1994)
Jennifer Hess, research associate. BS, 1983, Western Washington; MPH, 1996, Washington (Seattle); PhD, 2004, Oregon. (2002)
Gordon Lafer, associate professor. BA, 1983, Swarthmore; MA, 1989, MPh, 1992, PhD, 1995, Yale University. (1997)
Helen Moss, senior instructor. BA, 1982, San Francisco State; MA, 2001, Portland State University. (2000)
Raahi Reddy, instructor. BA, 1993, Rutgers; MA, 2008, California, Los Angeles. (2013)
Emeriti
Steven Deutsch, professor emeritus. See Sociology.
James J. Gallagher, associate professor emeritus. BA, 1961, California, Berkeley. (1978)
Margaret J. Hallock, professor emerita. BA, 1969, Southern California; MA, 1971, PhD, 1974, Claremont. (1988)
Steven F. Hecker, associate professor emeritus. BA, 1972, Yale; MS, 1981, Washington (Seattle). (1998)
Marcus Widenor, associate professor emeritus. BA, 1974, Antioch; MA, 1976, Massachusetts at Amherst. (1983)
The date in parentheses at the end of each entry is the first year on the University of Oregon faculty.