47th Annual Kenneth M. Piper Lecture

Join us to hear Hiroshi Motomura, UCLA Law Professor, deliver this year's 47th Kenneth M. Piper Lecture. Professor Motomura's topic is The Workplace and Belonging: Labor Law and Immigration Law in Tension

Labor law and immigration law have a complex relationship with each other. Immigration law grants and denies lawful status, but it also creates many in-between statuses. Another key feature of immigration law is a big gap between law on the books and law in action. Millions of people in the United States lack lawful status, yet they work. Immigration law is a site of belonging in these different dimensions. Labor law has parallel characteristics. It confers rights and protections that vary by workplace context. And as with immigration law, a key feature of labor law is the gap between what should happen in theory and what happens in fact. In these ways, labor law reflects some sense of belonging in the workplace. These parallel forms of belonging give rise to tensions. What happens when workers seek labor law remedies, but those workers lack lawful immigration status? What happens when workers have lawful status, but the practical terms of that status limits workplace protections that they have in theory? These examples show how belonging for noncitizen workers can differ when viewed through the lens of labor law or of immigration law. This Piper lecture will explore the many interwoven dimensions of the workplace and belonging.

This free lecture will be held in the Chicago-Kent College of Law Ogilvie Auditorium and will not be available via live stream.