Human Resources & Labor Relations

You will be reading and citing landmark and significant, as well as the most recently published, federal court cases and NLRB decisions.  Since no secondary source is completely up to date, only primary sources will be able to lead you to the most recent cases. Nexis Uni and Cheetah are good sources of the text of court cases, including recent cases.  NLRB Decisions are not included in Nexis Uni and are often only available in Cheetah in abbreviated form, so you may need to read the full decision in the official NLRB volumes, which are available online as well as in print.

Reading about a legal issue in a secondary source (such as a textbook or handbook) is a good starting point when doing your assignments.  They give an overview, or big picture, of the issues.  Besides background information, landmark cases and NLRB decisions are identified.  Often other significant cases and decisions are also mentioned.  Most people find this easier than reading all cases and decisions on a subject, without any previous knowledge or experience, and reaching their own conclusions on the legal significance.  These secondary sources are not the end of your research and will not be cited in your paper.  You will use them to identify some of the federal court cases and NLRB decisions to be read.  You will cite only the actual cases read and used.  You may also be using such things as federal labor legislation and regulations that you have found in your research