Worker Militancy

Ariel Avgar is the David M. Cohen Professor of Labor Relations, Law, and History, and the Academic Director of the Center for Applied Research on Work at the Cornell University ILR School.

Professor Avgar’s research focuses on two primary areas within employment relations. First, he explores the role that employment relations factors play in the healthcare industry. As such, he examines the effects of a variety of workplace innovations, including new technology, delivery of care models, and innovative work practices, on patients, frontline employees, and organizational performance. Second, Professor Avgar studies conflict and its management in organizations with a focus on the strategic choices made by firms. He seeks to better understand the consequences of conflict for employees and employers. Professor Avgar also investigates the adoption and implementation of organizational-level conflict management practices and systems.

Professor Avgar’s research has been published in a number of journals, including Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Industrial Relations, British Journal of Industrial Relations, Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, International Journal of Conflict Management, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Negotiation and Conflict Management Review, Advances in Industrial and Labor Relations, Health Services Research, and Medical Care.

Professor Avgar received the 2008 Best Dissertation Award and the 2013 John T. Dunlop Scholar Award, both from the Labor and Employment Relations Association and serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the association. His paper (with Eric J. Neuman) titled “Blind spots and mirages: A dyadic approach to the study of team conflict” received the 2012 Best Paper: New Directions Award from the Academy of Management Conflict Management Division.

Professor Avgar earned a Ph.D. in Industrial Relations from the ILR School at Cornell University and a B.A. in Sociology and an LL.B in Law from Hebrew University. He served as Law Clerk for the President of the Israeli National Labor Court before being admitted into the Israeli Bar. Prior to joining ILR, Professor Avgar was an associate professor (2014 to 2016) and assistant professor (2008 to 2014) at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Deanna W. Dudley is the chief human resources officer (CHRO) for El Camino Health, an integrated healthcare delivery system located in Silicon Valley, California. As CHRO, Ms. Dudley serves as a strategic business partner to El Camino Health’s executive leadership team, and she is responsible for human capital management. Her areas of focus include employee and labor relations; diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; talent acquisition; talent development and succession management; HR operations; clinical education; benefits, compensation, and retirement programs; employee health; and workforce well-being. Ms. Dudley reports directly to the chief executive officer.

Before joining El Camino Health, Ms. Dudley held executive roles at Kaiser Permanente, one of America’s leading healthcare providers and nonprofit health plans, serving over 12 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. While at Kaiser Permanente, she was vice president of human resources for the Northwest market, responsible for human resources functions, including learning and organizational effectiveness; equity, inclusion, and diversity; employee and labor relations; succession management; and workforce well-being. Prior to joining KP’s Northwest market, Ms. Dudley served as the vice president of National Labor Relations Strategy and Office of the Labor Management Partnership at Kaiser Permanente’s headquarter office in Oakland, California. In that role, she was responsible for developing short- and long-term labor relations strategies for the organization and its employees.

Prior to Kaiser Permanente, Ms. Dudley worked at the Office of the President, University of California, the largest public research university system in the United States, with ten campuses, five medical centers, and a national lab. While at UC, she held several leadership positions, including university negotiator and Assistant Director of Human Resources, deputy chief of staff to the president of UC, and chief of staff to the Vice President of Human Resources.

Ms. Dudley earned her law degree from UC Hastings College of the Law, her Master’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California, and her Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. She is also an alumna of Kaiser Permanente’s Executive Leadership Program at Harvard University. Ms. Dudley is a member of the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Alameda and Concern Health.

Ms. Dudley was recognized by the Portland Business Journal in 2021 with the HR Leadership Award and in 2022 as Rose City’s Finest: Celebrating 100 Black Leaders in Portland.

John August’s expertise in healthcare and labor relations spans 40 years. He served as the executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions from April 2006 until July 2013. With revenues of $88 billion and over 300,000 employees, Kaiser is one of the most extensive healthcare plans in the U.S.

Mr. August was also the co-chair of the Labor-Management Partnership at Kaiser Permanente and led the coalition as chief negotiator in three successful rounds of national bargaining in 2008, 2010, and 2012 on behalf of 100,000 coalition members.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Bachelor’s degrees in political science and government, Mr. August’s professional roles include positions at SEIU and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He writes regularly about healthcare in his blog, “Healthcare Insights.”

Rob Baril is president of SEIU 1199NE, the New England Health Care Employees Union, representing over 25,000 caregivers in Connecticut and some 4,000 in Rhode Island.

Mr. Baril grew up through the organizing ranks of 1199NE, starting as an organizer in 1998. He lives in New Haven County with his family. Historically known as “1199” going back to the Civil Rights Movement, SEIU 1199NE is a bold, democratic union with a long activist tradition of fighting for racial and economic justice to improve the lives of caregivers and the communities that rely on them.