Penn State Law alum begins Fulbright research in New Zealand

Fulbright scholar Julie Polakoski ’09 began a journey to New Zealand in February to undertake a comparative study of labor relations at the University of Victoria in Wellington. Polakoski chose New Zealand to conduct her research because of the radical labor law reforms that have taken place over the past couple of decades as well as New Zealand’s recent adoption of laws similar to America’s National Labor Relations Act. Her research will analyze the legal reforms that New Zealand has made regarding its labor laws as compared to the U.S. system, including the benefits or impediments that the reforms caused to the collective bargaining rights of workers.

“During recent years, New Zealand has made several fundamental legal changes to its labor relations system. These changes have impacted union density rates in the country, and consequently, the bargaining rights of workers," said Polakoski.

Julie Polakoski '09 in New Zealand

A Labor of Love

The subject of workers’ rights had been near and dear to Polakoski’s heart long before she pursued law school. She grew up in a blue-collar family in a rural, coal-mining Pennsylvania town. Power plays between unions and management were something she and her family observed with keen interest, especially when she noticed how much her family’s living situation was impacted. “Seeing how hard my parents worked to provide for my sister and me, and seeing how our standard of living improved once they both took jobs at a unionized workplace sparked my interest in labor law,” Polakoski explained. When she enrolled at Dickinson College, she was a first generation college student.

“My parents always remind me that they have worked hard so that I could get the education they never received. In pursuing my education, I have had to cross the cultural divide between being raised by a blue-collar family to becoming a white collar professional,” Polakoski said. Navigating this divide has not been easy, but she found the mentorship of Professor Ellen Dannin to be especially helpful.

Polakoski also credits her undergraduate studies abroad and internships as contributing factors in her passion for labor law. After returning from academic programs in Italy and Australia, she interned in the Office of International Visitors of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and held a cultural affairs internship at the Embassy of Australia.

After her first year of law school, Polakoski clerked at Jennings Sigmond, P.C., a Philadelphia firm that represents the Fraternal Order of Police and the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association, a union to which her parents belong. After her second year of law school, Polakoski was a Peggy Browning Fellow at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and got a front-row seat to the operations of one of the nation’s largest labor unions. During her final semester at Penn State Law, Polakoski participated in the Law School’s Semester in Washington Program as a clerk in the Contempt Litigation and Compliance Branch in the Office of the General Counsel at the National Labor Relations Board, where she worked on labor law enforcement litigation matters.

While upward mobility has made her more aware of the privileges an education can bring, she is particularly cognizant of the socioeconomic boundaries engrained in American society and the disadvantages facing those not afforded such privileges.

“My career goal is to use my awareness, knowledge and background to protect the interests and rights of workers, as well as giving them a necessary voice in the law,” Polakoski said.