Paul Rainsberger is an associate professor of extension education and serves as the director of the University of Missouri-Columbia Labor Education Program. He has served in his capacity since February 1997. Prior to coming to Missouri, he served on the faculty of the Indiana University Division of Labor Studies for eighteen years and as an attorney with the Indiana State Employees Association, an affiliate of the American Federation Teachers. He received a BA in political science from The Ohio State University and a JD from the Indiana University of Law. He has received university awards for excellence in teaching and distinguished service.
At the MU, Rainsberger is responsible for all continuing labor education activities of the Columbia campus. In that capacity, he works with unions from across the state in the development and delivery of educational and research projects designed to serve the diverse needs of workers in a climate of rapid political and economic change. He also represents the Columbia campus in the administration and delivery of the credit labor studies certificate program of the University of Missouri system.
Rainsberger's teaching and research interests include labor and employment law, workers'compensation, grievance representation and arbitration, collective bargaining and related issues. Much of his work focuses on industrial relations policy and trends in the automotive and construction industries and in the public sector.
Rainsberger is a member of the University Continuing Education Association, the University and College Labor Education Association, the Industrial Relation's Research Association, CWA Workers' Education Local 189 and the Missouri Federation of Teachers.
Updated 4/29/09
