Alexis Walker holds a B.A. from Willamette University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Saint Martin's University. She is the author of Divided Unions: the Wagner Act, Federalism, and Organized Labor. In Divided Unions, Walker argues that excluding public sector workers from the foundation of U.S. labor law, the Wagner Act of 1935, created divisions within the labor movement that have had lasting consequences for the size, strength, and influence of organized labor in American politics. Her research interests include American Political Development, political institutions, public policy, federalism, and organized labor.