John Beck

Associate Professor of Human Resources & Labor Relations Michigan State University

East Lansing MI

John Beck is a union and labor relations expert

Contact

Michigan State University
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Biography

John Beck previously served as associate director of the School of Labor Relations, primarily in charge of two of the school's outreach units, the Labor Education Program and Union Management Initiatives. He also co-directs a project "Building Mutual Expectations and Resolving Conflicts in Graduate Education," on the use of interest-based conflict resolution approaches for graduate students and their faculty mentors. Beck has taught labor studies on the community college level in both Oklahoma and Michigan and has taught history and education courses at the university level.

Industry Expertise

Human Resources

Education/Learning

Writing and Editing

Areas of Expertise

Labor Organization

Workforce Development

Labor History

American Labor Movements

Accomplishments

Excellence in Diversity Award; Team Award (with Yvonne Lockwood of the MSU Museum) for Sustained Effort toward Excellence in Diversity

2003
Michigan State University

Education

Oklahoma State University

Doctoral Coursework

History and Curriculum/Instruction

1986

University of Michigan

Masters of Arts

Adult and Continuing Education with Certificate in Industrial Relations

1982

Affiliations

Associate Member, United Steelworkers of America

News

Guards tell Poor People’s Campaign only 2 activists can enter Kentucky statehouse

ThinkProgress

2018-06-11

Right-to-work laws mean workers in unionized workplaces can’t negotiate contracts that make all union members pay union dues. Those workers not paying union dues still get the benefits of union membership. John Beck, a professor at Michigan State University’s School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, told WFPL last year of right-to-work laws, “If the union weakens because it has less and less dues dollars and less and less members, then it has a harder time bargaining subsequent contracts and getting the kind of good wages, benefits or contract provisions that they’ve had in the past.”...

Sysco racks up 79 violations over union vote in West Michigan facilities

MLive

2017-10-31

The order for Sysco to begin negotiating with the union and the federal lawsuit are unusual for the agency tasked with protecting worker rights, said John Beck, a professor who teaches labor relations at Michigan State University.

It's an indication of how seriously NLRB is taking Sysco's workplace offenses.

"I would say 79 violations is egregious. That's why you've got a straight bargaining order instead of a new vote," Beck said...

Supreme Court's Janus decision could hurt unions' political might in midterms

Fox News

2017-07-03

John Beck, an associate professor at Michigan State University’s School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, told Fox News that Janus has the potential to galvanize unions and union voters, especially as the replacement for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy may still be unconfirmed by November.

“It’s probably more a spur to action than a huge death knell,” he said...