- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
I interned with Amtrak’s Labor Relations department based in Washington, DC. My primary tasks included composing and submitting arbitration briefs and writing claim and declination letters. I expanded my knowledge of collective bargaining and the intricacies surrounding the balance of company-employee relations.
- What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
When I gained a first-hand perspective observing the company-employee operations, I became much more open-minded. Working with labor relations experts and observing their day-to-day work shifted my initial opinions on company-union operations. Reading and hearing the professionals discuss the facts of each arbitration case made me quickly realize that there was much more detail involved in the collective bargaining process than I had originally imagined. Ultimately, I gained a new respect for the collective bargaining process and arbitration operations. I now feel like I have a more informed perspective on the field and am able to contribute knowledgeable thoughts and opinions on the subject matter
- What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
I worked closely with my team, who all individually dedicated time to teach me about labor relations and expose me to their day-to-day work. My team fostered a very positive and nurturing environment, allowing me to shadow their meetings and assist them in writing letters. My positive relationships with my team members further maintained my interest in their work and allowed me to absorb the new information I was learning through the process. I was able to communicate with them my ideas and ask many questions that they were happy to answer. I learned a lot from my team members and gained invaluable insight into the labor relations field from them.
Drafting claim letters exposed me to the great amount of detail involved in each case that I read. I learned that there is a lot more time and money involved in company arbitration than I had originally believed prior to completing the internship. It is important for both the company and the employee’s representation to understand each case’s details, and this can be a difficult task because new cases come in every day. Sometimes, cases can be highly complex with hundreds of pages of transcript to read through. It is important to understand all sides to each case, no matter how long or convoluted they may be. In collective bargaining, it is important to find a balance between the company’s and the employee’s needs, and this balance requires compromise and long discussions pertaining to the details involved in every case.
When I attended my team meetings, I learned professional communication skills that will be useful for me throughout my career. I quickly recognized that it is necessary to communicate with a mature, professional tone. I observed the importance of each individual’s ability to listen to each other’s thoughts and effectively communicate, allowing everyone to speak their thoughts fully. Additionally, another very crucial aspect of each other’s success is to understand each person’s roles and responsibilities. This way, everyone can complete their own tasks accordingly and meetings are completed successfully.
- Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
My internship experience with Amtrak exposed me to the new field of labor relations, which became a significant area of interest for me. While I plan to attend law school upon completion of my undergraduate degree, my experience interning in labor relations inspired me to study new areas of law, including arbitration and labor law. After completing my summer internship, I gained the ability to understand and interpret arbitration proceedings, which will be useful when I complete labor law courses while I pursue a J.D. All in all, my internship contributed to my well-roundedness as a student by adding a new perspective to my education. As a Security & Intelligence and French dual major, labor relations relates both my undergraduate studies to my interest in pursuing my career as a lawyer.