Michigan State University's School of Human Resources and Labor Relations Celebrates Maite Tapia's Promotion to Full Professor
Dr. Maite Tapia
Michigan State University's School of Human Resources and Labor Relations (HRLR) is pleased to announce that Dr. Maite Tapia has been promoted to full professor, effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Tapia is among the over 160 Michigan State University faculty members recognized this year through Michigan State University's annual promotion and tenure process in acknowledgment of sustained excellence in research, teaching and service.
Dr. Tapia's promotion to full professor reflects a distinguished record of scholarly achievement and international recognition for her contributions to employment relations and labor relations. Her research focuses on when and how workers are able to exercise their voice in the workplace, starting from real-world events, such as Amazon warehouse workers in the US, Italy, and Germany organizing for better working conditions or United Auto Workers (UAW) striking in Michigan. Through her comparative and international research she asks: What conditions foster or hinder worker voice, and how do these dynamics affect workers' experiences and outcomes?
"Dr. Tapia is a leading scholar whose work has had a profound impact on the field of labor relations," said Dr. Jason Huang, director of the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. "Through her influential research on labor institutions, worker voice, and workplace power, Maite has helped shape important scholarly conversations while addressing issues that matter to workers, organizations, and society. We are proud to celebrate this well-earned promotion to full professor."
Since joining Michigan State University, Tapia has developed a widely recognized research program spanning three interconnected areas: critical industrial relations theory, which takes into account workers’ social identities and the broader systems of inequality; worker organizing and labor practices at Amazon warehouses in the US, Italy, and Germany; and trade unions and worker voice in Michigan, mostly focused on the UAW in Lansing, Michigan. Her scholarship combines strong theoretical development with rigorous qualitative research and has generated important insights into how workers collectively organize, how institutions shape employment relations, and how power operates in the workplace.
Research and Scholarly Impact
In recent years, Tapia has expanded her research on worker voice, with a particular focus on how workers and unions mobilize across national boundaries to influence corporate practices. Her studies have examined organizing efforts in logistics networks, contributing to broader debates on power and inequality in the employment relationship. Her research carries important societal impact and has been covered through national and international press as well.
Her scholarship is widely recognized for bridging academic research and practitioner relevance, offering insights that inform labor organizations, policymakers and international institutions engaged in improving workplace conditions and strengthening worker representation.
Teaching and Service
In addition to her research contributions, as the School's Doctoral Program Chair, Tapia is a dedicated educator and mentor within the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. She is known for engaging students in critical analysis of labor relations systems, encouraging them to examine the institutional and global dimensions of employment relationships.
She has also contributed extensively to the service mission of the university through leadership in academic initiatives, professional associations and collaborative research networks that advance the study of labor relations.
Recognition of Achievement
Promotion to full professor represents the highest rank within Michigan State University's faculty system and is awarded to scholars who demonstrate sustained excellence and international distinction in their field. The promotion reflects Tapia's long-standing contributions to advancing knowledge in labor relations and her continued impact on the discipline.
The School of Human Resources and Labor Relations congratulates Dr. Maite Tapia on this significant milestone and celebrates her continued leadership in research, teaching and service.