Alexis Walker holds a B.A. from Willamette University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Saint Martin's University. Her current research seeks to explain the labor movement's comparative weakness and the most recent attacks on public sector collective bargaining rights in the United States. Drawing on archival research, interviews, and quantitative analyses, her project identifies the historical underpinnings of today's labor unions and the contentious political events surrounding them. Contributing to work on federalism, policy feedback, political organizations, and political participation, her project demonstrates the powerful role public policies can play in shaping the behavior of a seemingly private entity--organized labor--and the consequences federalism may have for many "private" organizations.