Labor Law, Sociology Of

Robin Stryker

Class, rooted in social relations of production and markets, is a central concept in sociology. Correspondingly, and dating back to the classical theorists Karl Marx (1818–1883) and Max Weber (1864–1920), sociologists ask how labor law affects or reflects class inequalities, power, and conflict. Similarly, theory and empirical questions about state autonomy, including the autonomy of law, guide sociological inquiry into the evolution of labor law and its causes and consequences for economic and political-cultural ideas, actors, interests, and institutions. Following Michel Foucault (1926–1984) and neo-Marxist labor process scholarship, sociological research on labor law also addresses issues of worker control and discipline. Labor law focuses on regulating the employeremployee relationship at the workplace. The core American law school courses on labor law cover rules of organization and collective bargaining between associations of workers, or unions, and employers, including employers' associations. Regulation of wages, hours, and work standards is part of labor ...

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