Integrating organized labor into I-O psychology graduate training

As argued by Lefkowitz et al. (2026), we agree that industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology has historically and systematically overlooked organized labor, including the study of blue-collar work.This neglect is evident in the absence of labor-focused content within major handbooks, graduate training guidelines, and historical accounts of the field (Katzell & Austin, 1992;Stagner, 1981).The limited attention given to a substantial segment of the workforce is problematic for many reasons articulated by the authors of the focal article.We respond directly to the authors' call to action regarding potential remedies for this gap: "What, if anything, can graduate programs in I-O psychology do to enhance the likelihood of I-O psychologists engaging with labor unions?Should they do so?What might be the pros and cons of such?" (p.28).In this commentary, we propose three concrete and actionable approaches that I-O psychology graduate programs can implement to increase the likelihood that future I-O psychologists engage with and study labor.Current graduate training in I-O psychology largely centers on white-collar employes, management, and leadership, with minimal exposure to organized labor, such as blue-collar workers (We note that white-collar professions can also unionize; however, for the scope of this commentary, we focus specifically on blue-collar workers in organized labor because they are more likely to operate within formal union structures and face distinct labor relations dynamics that warrant focused attention by I-O scholars and practitioners.)(Bergman & Jean, 2016).This omission creates significant gaps in knowledge and application pertaining to a stakeholder group that is critical to the success of businesses, industries, communities, and countries.To address this gap, we outline three ways I-O master and doctoral programs can more intentionally incorporate organized labor into training: (a) providing hands-on experiences with labor unions, (b) adopting a more interdisciplinary and pluralistic approach to the study of work by drawing from fields and perspectives such as sociology and critical management studies, and (c) strengthening ethical training to more directly align I-O education with the profession's code of conduct and responsibility to promote worker well-being.