EDITORS NOTE: To obtain a scanned photo of William Gould IV, call the UO Office of Communications, (541) 346-3134.

EUGENE–An international labor court must be established to address the growing inequity between workers and employers in the global economy, according to internationally known labor arbitrator and scholar William B. Gould IV.

Gould, a Stanford Law School professor who served as chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from 1994 to 1998, will discuss "Labor Law for a Global Economy" in a Feb. 28 address sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics.

The free public speech, part of a series exploring global labor issues, begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28, in Room 175 of the Knight Law Center, 1515 Agate St. A book signing will follow.

"The decline of the labor movement has been unhealthy for our democracy and a contributing factor in the growing inequality between rich and poor in our country and the gap between the haves and the have-nots–white, black, brown or yellow–that threatens the stability of any society [that is] predicated upon free institutions," he says.

During his visit, Gould will meet with students, law school faculty and members of the labor community to discuss global human rights and labor law issues.

As chairman of the NLRB, Gould fought for stronger fair labor practices in the United States. As the economy becomes globalized, the NLRB struggle has expanded to workers in all parts of the world.

One of only three NLRB chairs to come from an academic background, Gould recently published a memoir, "Labored Relations: Law, Politics, and the NLRB," about the tribulations of trying to ensure impartial administration of federal labor laws while faced with a hostile Republican congress.

Gould has arbitrated and mediated more than 20 U.S. labor disputes since 1965 including the Major League Baseball salary dispute in 1992 and 1993. He is author of more than 50 law journal articles and a number of books, including "Black Workers in White Unions: Job Discrimination in the United States" and "A Primer on American Labor Law."

He was one of three African American nominees by the Clinton administration to face strong opposition by Senate Republicans.

Gould is one of two Morse professors during 2000—2001 addressing the theme of "Labor in a Global Economy."

The Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics is housed at the William W. Knight Law Center. It is an independent center dedicated to interdisciplinary research, discussion, publication and teaching on critical topics in the fields of law and politics.

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