Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations

Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations
Name	Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations
Established	1947
Type	Public professional school
Parent	Rutgers University
City	New Brunswick, New Jersey
Country	United States
Campus	New Brunswick–Piscataway, New Jersey
Dean	Ka Shui Ng

Contents

Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations is a professional school at Rutgers University focused on labor relations, industrial relations, human resources, and organizational behavior. The school delivers undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs and hosts multidisciplinary research centers that connect academic scholarship with practitioners from AFL–CIO, United Auto Workers, Teamsters, and corporate partners such as Johnson & Johnson and Prudential Financial. Its faculty collaborate with scholars associated with Harvard University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, Cornell University, and Yale University.

History

Founded in 1947 as the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations emerged from post‑World War II efforts to professionalize trade unions and workplace administration. Early leaders engaged with figures from Samuel Gompers-era unions and advisors linked to the National Labor Relations Act and the Taft–Hartley Act debates. In the 1960s and 1970s the school expanded programs influenced by collaborations with scholars at London School of Economics, University of Michigan, and University of Chicago, and by practitioners from United Steelworkers and the U.S. Department of Labor. During the 1990s and 2000s, partnerships cultivated with Cisco Systems, AT&T, General Motors, and Verizon Communications reflected shifts toward collective bargaining innovations and workplace diversity initiatives. More recent decades saw growth in interdisciplinary ties with Rutgers Business School, School of Communication and Information, Graduate School of Education (Rutgers), and public policy units engaged with New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The school offers undergraduate majors, a professional master's degree, doctoral study tracks, and certificate programs that address topics such as collective bargaining, employment law, healthcare administration, organizational psychology, and human resources management. Core curricula draw on theories and methods developed at Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University of Pennsylvania. Courses incorporate case studies from Walmart, Amazon, Boeing, and Delta Air Lines, and use quantitative tools linked to research traditions at National Bureau of Economic Research and Brookings Institution. Joint programs and electives enable cross-registration with Rutgers Law School, Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration, and international exchanges with University of Toronto, KU Leuven, and Australian National University.

Research at the school is organized through centers and institutes that address labor policy, workplace health, gig economy dynamics, and dispute resolution. Notable centers have collaborated with Economic Policy Institute, Pew Research Center, International Labour Organization, OECD, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Projects examine sectors represented by SEIU, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, and examine case studies involving UPS, FedEx, Starbucks, and McDonald's. Faculty publish in journals with editorial links to American Economic Association, Academy of Management, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, and engage in policy dialogues with U.S. Congress staff, state legislatures such as New Jersey Legislature, and municipal labor boards.

Student organizations bridge academic study with practitioner engagement through chapters and clubs tied to Phi Beta Kappa, Student Government, American Association of University Professors, and professional associations including Society for Human Resource Management and Labor and Employment Relations Association. Student-led groups organize conferences featuring speakers from National Labor College, Brookings Institution, Economic Policy Institute, and leaders from AFL–CIO affiliates, while internships place students at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New Jersey State AFL-CIO, and multinational firms such as Goldman Sachs and Ernst & Young. Activities include negotiation competitions modeled on those at Harvard Negotiation Project and fieldwork with community organizations like Catholic Charities USA and United Way.

Faculty and alumni have included advisors to governors and members of Congress, leaders within AFL–CIO affiliates, and scholars who have held appointments at University of California, Los Angeles, Indiana University Bloomington, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, and Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Alumni work in executive roles at Verizon Communications, Merck & Co., Walmart, and in labor leadership at SEIU and United Auto Workers. Visiting professors and fellows have been drawn from Harvard Kennedy School, London School of Economics, Columbia Business School, and think tanks such as Urban Institute.

The school conducts community engagement through dispute resolution clinics, workplace training programs, and policy briefings for state and municipal bodies including Newark, New Jersey and Jersey City, New Jersey. Collaborative initiatives have advised public agencies such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration and workforce development boards tied to Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act implementation. By partnering with unions like Teamsters, United Steelworkers, and AFSCME, the school has influenced collective bargaining strategies in sectors from healthcare represented by Kaiser Permanente to transportation entities such as NJ Transit.