Featured Faculty: Barbara J. Fick
Professor Barbara Fick first discovered her interest in labor and employment law as a law student at the University of Pennsylvania. “I got captivated by the concepts and have been doing it ever since,” says Fick, who will celebrate 25 years on the Notre Dame faculty this year. “It’s an exciting area because you’re dealing with real people. Almost everybody works and especially in the United States, work is such a central issue in people’s lives.”
Fick’s teaching and scholarship span topics in U.S., international, and comparative labor law. For the past three summers she has taught sessions on economic, social, and cultural rights to young human rights lawyers and activists at the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium. She has also worked as a consultant with the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, helping trade unions in Central and Eastern Europe in the transition to democratic rule after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Given her global perspective, what does Fick see as the most pressing challenge facing U.S. workers today? “I think the most important issue is the fact that our union density is too low and that erodes workers’ rights,” she says. “We need to reform our labor laws because they do not adequately protect workers who want to join unions.”
In the United States, only 8 percent of private-sector workers belong to labor unions. That’s a sharp drop from the 1950s and 60s, when 30 percent were union members. During the same period, real wages have declined, the gap between the country’s highest and lowest paid employees has widened dramatically, and workers’ ability to influence employers has diminished, Fick says. “Also, fewer employers are providing health insurance and pension plans are being cut back. The lack of union density has contributed to these economic problems.”
For Fick, the fundamental question is “how do we try to make the work experience one that reflects the dignity of the human being?” Citing the fact that 37 percent of working adults in the U.S. now work over 40 hours a week, she says, “We spend a large portion of our time at work, and so work issues become very important to people. It’s not just about how we make money—it’s how we form communities and how we identify ourselves. That makes it important to get it right.”
To learn more about Barbara J. Fick, visit her faculty profile page.
