Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society
Collective Bargaining Special Issue Conference
Showcasing research from Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society
Thursday, September 18 and Friday, September 19, 2025 at the UC Berkeley Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
Today collective bargaining is the biggest departure from market wage setting around the world. Yet it takes many forms which, in theory, can have quite different consequences for workers and firms. Despite large empirical literature investigating the impact of collective bargaining on issues as disparate as wages, productivity, firm performance and worker well-being, its effects remain hotly contested.
The Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) at the University of California Berkeley is home to the Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society. The Journal is hosting a Collective Bargaining Special Issue Conference on September 18 and 19, 2025 at IRLE.
This two-day, in-person conference features researchers working to understand both the origins of collective bargaining and its effects on workers and employers. The featured speakers present credible empirical evidence as to the causal links between collective bargaining and outcomes of interest. Papers presented during the conference will contribute to a special issue of the journal to be published in 2026.
Schedule and Speakers
9:00 AM: Coffee and light breakfast
9:20 AM: Welcome & Introduction by Steve Raphael (UC Berkeley), IRLE Director, and Alex Bryson (University College London), Editor-in-Chief of Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society
9:30 AM Daniel Baumgarten (Paderborn University), “Trade Exposure and Decline in Collective Bargaining: Evidence from Germany”
- Discussant: Andrea Weber (Central European University)
10:30 AM: Ana Rute Cardoso (Barcelona School of Economics), “Sharing the Burden: The Effect of Crisis-Induced Spending Cuts on Retail Pharmacy Workers”
- Discussant: Enrico Moretti (UC Berkeley)
11:45 AM: Tomás Rau (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), “Union Strength, Collective Bargaining and Strike Activity: Insights from Chile’s 2017 Labor Reform”
- Discussant: Véra Zabrodina (BASEL)
12:45 PM: Lunch provided at IRLE
1:45 PM: Keynote – David Card (UC Berkeley), Talk title TBN
3:00 PM: Tuomas Kosonen (VATT Institute for Economic Research), “Collective Bargaining in European Countries – A Systematic Data-Driven Description”
- Discussant: Paul Willman (London School of Economics and Political Science)
9:00 AM: Coffee and light breakfast
9:20 AM: Welcome and introduction by Steve Raphael and Alex Bryson
9:30 AM: Bernardo Fanfani (Università di Torino), “Contractual Minimum Wages and Collective Bargaining: Italian Evidence from 40 Years of Data”
- Discussant: Jesse Rothstein (UC Berkeley)
10:30 AM David Zentler-Munro (University of Essex), “Collective Bargaining Demands and Outcomes”
- Discussant: Enrique Lopezlira (UC Berkeley Labor Center)
11:45 AM: William Olney (Williams College), “Offshoring and the Decline of Unions”
- Discussant: Laura Guiliano (UC Santa Cruz)
12:45: Lunch provided at IRLE
1:15: Keynote – Christian Dustmann (University College London), “Collective Bargaining in Germany: Trends and Challenges,” presenting virtually
2:15 PM: Lorenzo Luisetto (University of Michigan), “Collective Bargaining and the Regulation of Non-Competes”
- Discussant: Alex Bryson
3:15: Closing remarks by Steve Raphael and Alex Bryson
Logistics
Light breakfast and lunch will be provided both days. Note that space for the conference is limited, so early registration is encouraged.
The conference will take place at the UC Berkeley Institute for Research on Employment, 2521 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94705.
Accessibility Accomodations
If you require accommodation for a disability for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Zi Lin Li at irle@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days in advance of the event.
Contact
Questions? Email irle@berkeley.edu.