Rate My Professor Bruce Nissen

Bruce Nissen is a retired Professor of Labor Studies in the Social Science faculty at Florida International University (FIU), where he served as Director of Research for the Center for Labor Research and Studies. Holding a B.A. from Grinnell College and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, Nissen has been a dedicated labor educator since 1981, previously teaching labor studies at Indiana University. His academic interests encompass labor unions, organized labor, labor-community coalitions, workplace reorganization, and social and economic policy, particularly living wage ordinances, union benefits, wage theft, hiring practices, and working conditions in Florida.

Nissen has made significant contributions through his extensive publications. He authored "Fighting for Jobs: Case Studies of Labor-Community Coalitions Confronting Plant Closings" (1995) and edited volumes such as "Theories of the Labor Movement" (1987), "Grand Designs: The Impact of Corporate Strategies on Workers, Unions, and Communities" (1993), "Unions and Workplace Reorganization" (1997), "Which Direction for Organized Labor? Essays on Organizing, Outreach, and Internal Transformations" (1999), and "Unions in a Globalized Environment: Changing Borders, Organizational Boundaries, and Social Roles" (2002). Notable articles include "Unions as social capital: Renewal through a return to the logic of mutual aid?" (2005, Labor Studies Journal) and "The effectiveness and limits of labor-community coalitions: Evidence from South Florida" (2004, Labor Studies Journal). He produced numerous reports including "The Impact of a Living Wage Ordinance on the City of Miami" (2004), "Cost of a Living Wage Ordinance to Coral Gables" (2007), "Benefits of Unionization in Florida" (2009), "Wage Theft in St. Petersburg, Florida" (2014), "Hiring Our Own" (2006), and annual "State of Working Florida" reports.

As co-editor of the Labor Studies Journal from 2000 to 2008, Nissen advanced discourse in labor studies. He served on the national executive committee of the United Association for Labor Education, provided expert testimony before congressional committees, consulted for government agencies and community organizations like the Community Coalition for a Living Wage and South Florida Jobs with Justice, and was quoted in media such as Time, U.S. News & World Report, and The Miami Herald.