KINGSTON, R.I. — October 9, 2019 — William B. Gould, IV, one of the nation’s leading experts in labor law, and professor emeritus at Stanford Law School, will discuss changing labor laws Thursday, Oct. 31, at the University of Rhode Island. He will examine how labor laws have been eroded and rights threatened in recent years, spurring a discussion about what is next for workers, and how the dynamics between employers and employees will change.

The lecture will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Galanti Lounge, on the third floor of the Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons, 15 Lippitt Road, Kingston Campus. “The Future of Labor Law and Workplace Governance,” will detail the laws in place to support workers in both public and private sectors. Gould will also discuss what will develop to govern workplace dynamics as legal doctrine has changed.

Gould graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1958, and was later awarded an honorary doctorate from the University in 1986 for his many contributions to the study of labor law and work in the field of labor dispute settlement. He served as chair of the National Labor Relations Board during the Clinton administration, and was the first African-American to hold the position. Then he was appointed by California Gov. Jerry Brown to serve as the chair of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board. In 2017, he was presented with a Distinguished Achievement Award from URI. He has written numerous articles and books. His latest, the sixth edition of A Primer on American Labor Law, is widely viewed as the classic overview of labor law in the U.S. and will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Lauren Poirier, an intern in the Marketing and Communications Department at URI and public relations and English major, wrote this press release.