Professor Andrea J. Martin presents at the University of Baltimore School of Law

CARLISLE, PA—Professor Andrea J. Martin delivered a presentation, “Conditional Delegation: Civil Rights Accountability and Exclusive Representation,” at the University of Baltimore School of Law as part of the Northeast Corridor Faculty Scholar Exchange Program. Her recent scholarship explores how the modern evolution of union activity has exposed a gap between the framework of federal labor law and existing civil rights enforcement mechanisms.

Martin explained the evolving function of unions from economic representatives in an industrial economy to socio-political activists in a post-industrial, service economy. She showed that while the National Labor Relations Act granted unions exclusive authority to represent all employees in a bargaining unit, that authority has not been reconsidered despite the evolving role of unions and remains in place even after a union is found to have violated Title VII.

Her recent article argues that because exclusive representation is a statutory delegation of authority, Congress may condition that authority on compliance with federal civil rights obligations. It proposes a targeted review framework to ensure civil rights accountability while preserving the structure of exclusive representation.

The Northeast Corridor Faculty Scholar Exchange Program fosters scholarly engagement among leading law schools in the region and provides a forum for rigorous academic discussion of emerging legal issues.

Professor Andrea J. Martin‘s research encompasses constitutional law, anti-discrimination law, and the study of historical and contemporary antisemitism. Through her scholarship in the emerging field of Jewish Law and Policy, she develops legal frameworks and advances strategies to influence legal, governmental, and institutional policies to combat antizionism and other contemporary forms of Jew-hatred and protect civil rights.