Ray’s research focuses on labor and employment relations. He is the author of more than 60 articles and has published four books in his areas of interest. Employment Relations in the United States (2004) was reviewed in the 2006 University of Michigan Law Review as one of two notable contributions to employment law for the year. He has been cited as a legal authority in the Wall Street Journal, the Denver Post, the Las Vegas Sun-Times and various other media outlets. His article on slavery and culture is the lead essay in the 2014 Research Volume of the Labor and Employment Relations Association. Another book, The End of American Labor Unions: Right to Work Movement and the Failure of Collective Bargaining in the United States will be published by ABC-CLIO publishers in 2015.
Ray is active in the Association of American University Professors (AAUP) and has served for a number of years as Vice-President for Legislative Affairs of the Colorado AAUP chapter. Among his accomplishments was drafting a bill passed by the Colorado Legislature in 2012 to allow non-tenure track faculty to enter into binding contracts for a period of years. Ray is also a member of several academic professional organizations, including the Academy of Management and the Labor and Employment Relations Association. He completed four Ironman triathlons, three Boston Marathons, and three Marine Corp marathons and continues to enjoy recreational running and biking.