Joseph Drexler received MPA and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pittsburgh.  He served as a high-ranking official for trade unions in the United States, Canada and Switzerland. His areas of expertise include: Strategic corporate research, transnational trade unionism, union organizing, and social movements.

During his time in the trade union movement, he headed departments for the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers International Union; Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union; United Steelworkers; and International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions. His trade union experience includes serving as a negotiator, organizer, lobbyist and campaigner. He designed and implemented numerous campaigns against governments and employers attempting to suppress worker rights, and forged alliances with community, environmental and human rights organizations. He served as a representative to the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He has taught at the University of Denver, Suffolk University, University of Pittsburgh and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is a principal at JD and Associates Strategic Options LLC, where he conducts studies for the ILO and advises trade unions on campaign strategy. He is currently writing a book on corporate campaigns.