Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis addresses LERA at the NPF 2009 in Washington, DC

“New Frontiers in Employment Relations: Ensuring Good Jobs, Fair Treatment, and High Performance in a Turbulent Economy” was the theme for the 8th LERA National Policy Forum held June 11 and 12, 2009 at Cafritz Conference Center in Washington DC. The 2009 forum sought to bring an informed perspective to the policy arena at a time of critical changes in the administration and economy connecting theory and practice with policy issues in ways that have impact.

View Video Footage of speakers and panel presentations.

Keynote Addresses were given by National Leaders including the featured luncheon speaker, Hon. Hilda Solis, Secretary, US Department of Labor; and plenary keynotes: Bob DuPuy, President and COO of Major League Baseball; and Lisa Lynch, Dean, Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University.

Bob DuPuy, COO of Major League Baseball

This year’s Policy Forum offered a particular focus on policy issues around union organizing, pension and health care benefits, and other issues for which legislative debates are anticipated and where public policy can be informed by scholarly research and practitioner perspectives. The Forum also considered state and industry-level challenges in rebuilding the American Dream and surface deeper underlying assumptions about the workforce, unions, employers, and other stakeholders.

Blue Ribbon panels were organized for workshop discussions and Q&A sessions following presentations from leading experts in the areas of Health Care and Pensions, the Role of Government in the Auto Industry, Training and Skill Development, Federal Sector Labor Relations, Union Organizing and Collective Bargaining, Infrastructure Investments and Green Jobs, and Executive Compensation.

Program Chair and LERA President Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld and co-chairs Thomas Kochan, MIT; Bonnie Summers, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO and a large program committee worked together to shape the program. The forum was attended by 200 employment relations practitioners and scholars.

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Dennis Rocheleau accepts his Lifetime Achievement Award in San Francisco, January 2009.

Retired General Electric Labor Relations Manager Dennis Rocheleau was honored with the LERA Lifetime Achievement Award by LERA presidents and members at the San Francisco annual meeting on January 4, 2009.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, which is the most prestigious award given by LERA, signifies the admiration and appreciation of the members of the Association for Rocheleau’s lifetime of work and achievement in our field.

Anthony T. Oliver, Jr. 2008 president of LERA presented the Award to Rocheleau at the Presidential Luncheon at the 61st Annual Meeting in San Francisco. “You personify the LERA goal of advancing the cause of peaceful, constructive workplace relations in your many years with General Electric,” Oliver told Rocheleau at the presentation. “I am sure that everyone in our field shares the view that your labor-management achievements will continue to serve as a model for others to replicate in the future.”

Oliver also pointed out that Rocheleau was the first recipient of the award to come from the management/practitioner side of LERA membership.

Previous distinguished recipients of this award include: William J. Usery, John T. Dunlop, Lois Spier Gray, Theodore Kheel, Malcolm R. Lovell, Jr., F. Ray Marshall, David Brody, Lynn Williams, Wayne Horvitz, Clark Kerr, Neil Chamberlain, George P. Shultz, Walter Gershenfeld, Robert McKersie, George Strauss, and Jack Stieber.

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2010 Annual Meeting in Atlanta

Join your colleagues for the 62nd Annual Meeting at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta January 2-5, 2010. 59 exciting workshops, symposiums, committee, section, and industry council meetings, plenaries, breakfasts, luncheons, and receptions are planned. Visit the website to see the complete Annual Meeting Program and Register Online before December 1 to enjoy the discount.

All participants and attendees must register, including speakers and discussants. Badges are required for admission to all sessions and activities. You must register and pay the registration fee before booking a room at the special conference rate. A five-digit registration ID number is needed to book a room or suite.

Once registration payment is received, you will get an email confirmation, registration ID number, housing form, and link to housing. If you register online you will get an email confirmation within a few minutes, faxed registration forms take up to three days, and mailed-in forms take up to two weeks to process. If you do not receive a registration confirmation within this time frame, email ASSA at assa@vanderbilt.edu If you prefer to register via fax or mail, print out and complete the ASSA Registration Form and fax to ASSA at 615-343-2986 or email to assa@vanderbilt.edu.

Those who pre-register by December 1, 2009 will receive the early-bird discount—the fee is $75 regular and $35 for full-time students and spouses for the four-day conference. After December 1, 2009, the registration fee goes up to $125 and $55 for students and spouses. Online registration is possible until December 31st. After that time, onsite registration will be offered at both the ASSA headquarter hotel, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, and the LERA headquarters hotel, the Hyatt Regency, beginning January 2, 2010.

Tickets for the LERA Presidential Luncheon may be pre-ordered on the registration form. This year’s luncheon will feature an address by President Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld and the presentation of LERA Lifetime Achievement Awards. A limited number of tickets will be available onsite.

LERA members are encouraged to check off the box on the registration form that denotes LERA as their primary affiliation, as revenue from the meeting is distributed according to this report.

Don’t forget about LERA’s Packet Pickup Service. Through special arrangements made with ASSA, you can authorize the LERA office staff to pick up your ASSA registration packet, badge, and program for you and hold it at the LERA Information Desk at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Simply complete the form online Packet Pickup Form at the LERA website. Two minutes now will save you the hassle of standing in long lines in Atlanta. There is no charge for this service.

Plan to come early to attend any of seven Industry Council sessions on the Pre-conference Day, (January 2nd) as well as other workshops.

On Tuesday, January 5th, the late morning sessions offer two workshops and a symposium:

• NFL Labor Relations: First and Ten or Fourth and Long? organized by the host Atlanta Chapter and featuring NFL and college coaches, player reps, and an NLRB attorney
• Empirical Studies of Retirement Plans: Implications for Workers, Firms and Public Policy, a symposium chaired by Stephen Woodbury, Michigan State University
• The Current Economic Crisis: Can Industrial Relations Contribute to the Reform Process? organized by Anil Verma, University of Toronto and featuring John Budd, University of Minnesota; Arindrajit Dube, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; and Rafael Gomez, University of Toronto

In additions, two special sessions are planned for Tuesday afternoon by the International Interest Section that you will not want to miss:

• 12:15-2:15 p.m. Alternative Union Futures in a Neo-Liberal Environment
  Chair: Martin Upchurch, Middlesex University
  Presenters:  Martin Upchurch, Middlesex University; Andrew Mathers and Graham Taylor, University of the West of England—Alternative Futures for West European Trade Unionism
  Pauline Dibben, Kamel Mellahi and Geoffrey Wood, University of Sheffield—Is Social Movement Unionism Still Relevant?: The Case of South African Federation COSATU
  Heather Connolly and Miguel Martinez Lucio, University of Manchester—Workers’ Centres, Union Renewal, and the State: Immigration and Union Initiatives in Spain
  Edson I. Urano, University of Sophia; Paul Stewart, University of Strathclyde; and Andy Danford, University of the West of England—What to do about Workers on the Periphery. How Japanese Labor Unions are Responding to the Increasing Demands of the Excluded: Kanagawa City and Union MIE

• 2:30 -4:00 p.m. Conceptualizing Work
  Chair: Andrew Brown, University of Leeds
  Presenters: John Budd, University of Minnesota—Industrial Relations Theory: What About Work?
  Bruce Kaufman, Georgia State University—Theorizing Work: Implications of Institutional Economics
  Michael Perelman, California State University, Chico—The History of the Marginalization of Work
  David Spencer, University of Leeds—The Economics of Work: Past, Present and Future

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Returning Board members include: Beth Almeida, NIRS; Rose Batt, Cornell University; Robert Chiaravalli, Strategic Labor & Human Resources; Ellen Dannin, Penn State University; Richard Fincher, Workplace Resolution, LLC; John Goddard, University of Manitoba, Iain Gold, Intern’l Brotherhood of Teamsters; Bonnie Summers, BlueCross BlueShield Assn; Christian Weller, Center for American Progress; and Charles Whalen, Utica College.

LERA’s first electronic election was held this year via the Internet and yielded a 5% increase from last year in votes received. An email link to a user friendly listing of the candidates and their bios and an electronic ballot was sent to member this summer.  Several member requested paper ballots, which were also sent to those members who do not provide or have email addresses.

“Overall, we consider the new e-balloting successful, since it increased the total number of votes received and helped us reduce expenses,” reported Emily Smith, of the LERA office. “There were a few glitches reported which we were able to resolve or send a paper ballots. We plan to continue with the e-ballot process for future elections and ask LERA members to keep us informed of updated email addresses.”

Gordon Pavy, AFL-CIO, President Elect for 2010

Scot Beckenbaugh, FMCS

Linda Ewing, UAW

Dennis Kuhl, Boeing

Jody Hoffer Gittell, Brandeis University

By Eileen Appelbaum, President Elect

To submit an online proposal for the Denver meeting, visit the 2011 Meetings page at the LERA website beginning October 15, 2009.

by Eileen Appelbaum, LERA President Elect

The recent boom and bust cycle was fueled by flat or declining median wages, rising inequality, a mountain of consumer debt and reckless behavior by financial institutions. Reconnecting economic growth with rising wages and benefits is a necessary catalyst for reestablishing sustained economic growth.

With consumer spending a major component of GDP, rising employee earnings are key both to achieving sustainable profits and wealth creation and to avoiding a prolonged period of jobless growth and high unemployment. Employment relations are critical to the creation of good jobs and competitive business models capable of delivering quality outcomes.

The theme for the 63^rd Annual Meeting of the Labor and Employment Relations Association in January 2011 is Employment Relations for Economic Recovery and Sustained Growth. The dimensions of the employment relations system encompass the wage setting practices in organizations across an array of industries; the role of unions, employee representation, collective bargaining and industrial relations; the availability and affordability of education, training and workforce development; the organization and management of work for quality performance and cost effectiveness; the access of employees to work and life policies and practices at the workplace; and the sufficiency of pensions and retirement income security. Government policies – health care, unemployment insurance, labor law and enforcement, immigration, minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, and paid sick days – also have direct effects on management practices, employment relations, and household income.

The LERA Program Committee welcomes proposals for stimulating, creative, and controversial panels and workshops related to this theme as well as other proposals that deal with topics of current interest and the mission of LERA. We encourage submissions from the perspectives of multiple disciplines – including but not limited to economics, sociology, political science, labor and employment law, industrial relations, and human resource studies – and the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, including investors, managers, workers, and unions. Those submitting proposals will be asked to categorize their proposal into one of eight  areas of labor and employment relations: international and comparative industrial relations, industry studies, work and occupations, labor economics and labor markets; law, regulations, and dispute resolution; unions and labor studies, human resources, and labor- management relations.

Session proposals for both symposia and workshops will be considered. The Program Committee recommends a maximum of six (6) participants in your session, including chairs, presenters, and discussants to allow time for questions from the audience. Chairs, presenters, panelists, and discussants may only participate in one role and in one session on the program, although they may co-author other papers that are on the program. Exceptions are allowed for those who are invited to present in the LERA Refereed Papers, AILR/LERA Best Papers, and the upcoming LERA Research Volume Preview sessions.

Those wishing to submit papers rather than sessions are invited to submit to the LERA Refereed papers competition. Student authors are also invited to submit to the UCIRHRP Student Papers competition. Both of the above are refereed papers and winners are invited to publish in the LERA Proceedings.

To submit an online proposal, visit the LERA website beginning October 15, 2009. Organizers are requested to provide a brief session abstract and to list all participants, either confirmed or invited. Proposals must reach the LERA National Office no later than January 25, 2010.

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LERA President Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld

In this year’s Labor Day address, delivered in Cincinnati, President Obama addressed the role of labor in our economy, reaffirming his view that “in good economic times and bad, labor is not part of the problem. Labor is part of the solution.” What are the implications for LERA? Clearly we are more than “labor” since we also encompass management, government, neutrals and academic scholars. At the same time, we are the leading association focused on advancing labor and employment relations and we do need to ask ourselves how we can ensure that “labor” (broadly defined) is part of the solution.

Certainly the programs at our Annual Meetings, at the National Policy Forum, at LERA sessions at the FMCS National Labor-Management Conference, and in local chapter meetings around the country all help to advance theory, practice and policy in important ways. For example, NPF Video footage from the National Policy Forum, which is now available at the LERA website, is testimony to the valuable ways we are advancing knowledge in the field on topics ranging from health care, to the auto industry, to executive compensation, to workforce development, to public sector employment, to green jobs and other pressing topics. Similarly, the LERA publications such as Perspectives on Work, the annual volumes, the newsletter and others, all present state-of-the art information on labor and employment relations. So LERA is already part of the solution in the important programming and publications that we produce.

But we must do more. There were just under twenty U.S. scholars among the 900 delegates at the World Congress of the International Industrial Relations Association (IIRA), held in Sydney, Australia. While in Sydney, we learned a great deal about how workplace fairness has been linked to enterprise performance and elevated to be the centerpiece of Australia’s national economic policies. We also saw evidence of many other nations placing labor and employment relations at the center of their economic agendas, all of which is described on a brief document prepared under Tom Kochan’s leadership and now available at LERA’s blog forum. In the U.S., we have not yet had a full national dialogue aimed at aligning labor policy, economic policy, and daily workplace realities. In this regard there is much more work to be done if labor (and employment relations) are to be part of the solution.

It will be of interest to LERA members that the leadership of the International Industrial Relations Association voted at the 2009 World Congress to change the name of the association from IIRA to the International Labor and Employment Relations Association. (ILERA).This decision was made for reasons similar to our own name change – to fully signal a focus encompassing all aspects of employment relations. Certainly, the nature of work today and issues such as the future of the American Dream can’t be understood without attention to individual employment rights and worker relations with employers in nonunion settings. Interestingly, at the same time that we much attend to the full range work arrangements, the long-standing domain of union-management relations is re-emerging as having increased importance. LERA has been contacted by employers, unions and government officials – all indicating that traditional labor relations skills are in short supply. It is increasingly hard to find people who know how to handle grievances, negotiate collective bargaining agreements, operate labor-management committees, and generally build constructive labor-management relations. It is in response to this demand that LERA is in the process of launching a major initiative to coordinate training and skill certification for labor relations.

While there will be much more information on the LERA certification initiative in coming issues of the newsletter and extensive discussion at the January 2010 membership meeting in Atlanta, discussions to date point to the following model:

• LERA will develop the overall skills standards and certification process
• Actual skills training can be delivered by a broad range of providers, including universities, local LERA chapters, unions, employers, government agencies, and others – all based on the LERA curriculum standards
• Individuals will achieve different levels of certification based on a combination of tests and demonstrated proficiency coordinated by LERA

Content expertise will come from a blue ribbon panel of LERA members. Fees from the initiative (and we hope additional external support for launch) will enable LERA to provide the needed staff support. Thus, we build on the foundation of our programming and publications. Then, we must also elevate national policy debates and build needed labor relations capabilities. Taken together, LERA will indeed be helping to ensure that labor is part of the solution to the great economic and social challenges facing the U.S. and the global economy.

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We anticipate that this site will be used by a wide variety of LERA members, BNA readers, and others to post blogs and background articles/statements on a wide variety of policy issues. Each posting will represent the work and/or views of its author. LERA does not take positions on public policy issues; instead, it provides a forum for analysis, discussion, and debate of all points of view on policy matters.

One of the first major policy issues to be debated involves whether and if so how to reform the nation’s labor law. The first entry suggests the need to tone down the extreme rhetoric over the law and for leaders in the field to come together and ask how labor management relations can better contribute to the nation’s economic recovery.

For more information on how to host your own “Work in America” forum and bring dialog to the Atlanta Annual Meeting in January 2010, visit LERAblog.org.

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2009 Inaugural Scholar Fellows shown here L to R: Bruce Kaufman, Francine Blau, and Thomas A. Kochan. (Not shown: Richard Freeman and Arne Kalleberg

The LERA Awards Committee named five scholars and five practitioners as the inaugural LERA Fellows in San Francisoc last January at the 61st Annual Meeting. LERA Fellows is a new series of awards established by the LERA Executive Board to recognize scholars and practitioners who have made contributions of unusual distinction to the field and have been in the profession and field for longer than 10 years.

The committee for the LERA Fellows scholar title will consider those who making contributions from all disciplines such as Industrial Relations, Labor Law, Economics, Human Resources, Business, Sociology, Political Science, and Organizational Behavior. Inaugural Scholar Fellows were Francine Blau, Cornell University; Richard Freeman, Harvard University and Arne Kalleberg, University of North Carolina; Bruce Kaufman, Georgia State University; and Thomas A. Kochan, MIT.

Inaugural Practitioner Fellows shown here L to R: Friedman, Zack, Adler, Castrey, and Hoffman)

For 2010 and future years, the LERA Awards Committee will name as many as three scholars and three practitioners for LERA Fellows designations. The awards will be made during the LERA General Membership Meeting and Awards Ceremony each year at the LERA Annual Meeting.  Any LERA member may nominate a LERA Scholar by sending an email or letter of nomination to LERAoffice@illinois.edu.

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The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (BNA), a sustaining sponsor of the LERA, is hosting a live webinar featuring LERA member, David Lewin, of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. The webinar is entitled:  “Managing Employment Relationship Conflict: Lessons for the HR Community,” and will be held Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET. More information about the event can be found at:
http://hrcenter.bna.com/Pagemanager.aspx?pageId=8562.

LERA members may access this webinar free of charge. However, in order to do so, please do not register through the on-line store at the link above. Instead, please contact Matt Sottong at msottong@bna.com.  He will arrange for your complimentary attendance.

Bureau of National Affairs offers Free Webinar to LERA Members

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Addressing the staff reduction, Paula Wells, Executive Director of LERA pointed out that the decision not to replace former staff Lisa Sprinkle, who left LERA in January for a marketing position in the Champaign IL County Parks and Recreation Department, was “difficult but necessary, considering our economic reality.”

“LERA has a small operational budget and membership dues only cover half of the expenses. Without grant support or other revenue streams, we must get back to a balanced budget.“ She explained that LERA has cut expenses about as much as possible, already moving several publications, like the LERA Newsletter and LERA Proceedings to electronic publishing formats. She indicated she and LERA staffer Emily Smith will continue to work to support the broad range of member services.

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Awards include: the Chapter Merit award, presented to chapters that meet the criteria in one or more categories during a chapter year; the Outstanding Chapter award, presented to chapters that receive at least 4 of the 8 merit awards in 5 consecutive years; and the Chapter Star award, presented to chapters that receive at least 6 of the 8 merit awards in 5 consecutive years, and thereafter, they may accrue merit awards again starting at zero.

Refer to the Chapter Award Nomination Form, complete and return to the LERA Office by October 15, 2009. Chapters may self-nominate OR be nominated by another chapter, NCAC committee through outreach discussion with chapters, or by LERA staff. Each Merit Award category need not be awarded each year. There may be multiple awards given in a category.

Both the Missouri Gateway Chapter and the NY Long Island Chapter received Chapter Star Awards last year.

Eric Mooshegian, President of the Gateway Chapter, receives the Star Award in 2009, presented by Bill Canak, NCAC Chair

Beverly Harrison, President of the Long Island Chapter, receives the Star Chapter Award in 2009, presented by Bill Canak, NCAC Chair

 Merit Award Categories

1. Chapter Turnaround or Startup
2. Outstanding Programming, such as co-sponsorship of events or awards with other chapters or groups or overall programming excellence
3. Member “Innovation,” such as creative student program, outstanding growth, creative recruitment methods, constituency or membership development
4. Community Involvement, such as promotion of scholarship
5. Chapters Helping Other Chapters
6. Consistent Chapter Excellence through: a) active governance (administration), b) stability (strong secretariat), c) programming over the years, d) diverse membership base, e) other
7. Chapter Communications, such as brochure design, web site, newsletters, membership directory, etc.
8. Chapter to National Relations and Support, such as support of national meetings, communications, fees)

Chapter Reps Meeting Scheduled for Atlanta

The National Chapter Advisory Council invites each chapter to send a representative to the Annual LERA Chapter Reps Meeting to be held in Atlanta at the 62nd Annual Meeting. The Chapter Reps meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel (the LERA hotel in Atlanta) from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 4, 2010 in the Inman Room. NCAC Chair Bill Canak of the TERRA Chapter will preside.

In addition to sharing practices, news and ideas, Chapter Merit Awards will be made at this meeting. Outstanding Chapter Awards and Chapter Star Awards will be presented at the General Membership Meeting and Awards Ceremony that evening.

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Many of the policy requirements were already being practiced, especially those dealing with employees since LERA employees follow University of Illinois requirements. The Executive Board has been adhering to a Conflict of Interest policy since 2007.

The IRS is requiring 501(c) 3 non-profits to formalize some of these policies, although smaller non-profits like LERA are allow to phase them in over 2009-2011.

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Each year, the award will be made to the international and comparative employment issues paper designated by LERA paper referees as the “most outstanding.” Papers that address research and evaluation of international institutions and processes within employment relations and/or provide comparative analysis of employment relations systems and types will be considered. Individual country studies that address employment relations issues of international significance will also be considered.
Entries may be directly submitted by authors or nominated by outside parties. They may include papers written by faculty, students, researchers, and research/practitioners who are LERA members. Eligible papers include those published in the public domain during the calendar year prior to the LERA Annual Meeting and those papers submitted and to be presented at the Annual Meeting, including international or comparative IR/HR papers already accepted into the annual meeting program. Papers may only be submitted once.

Guidelines for papers are as follows: paper length should be approximately 25 double-spaced pages in a 12-point font (the page limit is inclusive of references, endnotes and tables, etc.) though longer papers will be considered. Authors must submit a cover letter or sheet with full contact information and all nominations or submissions must include an electronic copy of the paper or link to a free website version. They may be sent via email to LERA office on or before the October 15, 2009 extended deadline. Acceptance decisions and notifications for the 2010 LERA meeting will be made by the fall of 2009.

If the winning paper is not published, per an agreement with scholarly journals in the field, LERA will offer the author of the winning paper an option of submitting the papers for fast-track pre-review for scholarly journals, though publication in those journals is at the discretion of their editorial boards. Winning papers are invited to publish in the LERA Online Proceedings.

The Award and $500 cash prize will be presented annually at the LERA Annual Meeting, during the General Membership Meeting and Awards Ceremony.

Call for Proposals for 2011 LERA Research Volumes—Due November 1, 2009
The LERA Editorial Committee would like to encourage members to submit research volume proposals for the 2011 research volume by November 1, 2009. Proposals related to employment relations are welcome. A submission normally consists of an explanation of the overall rationale of the volume, and an outline of 10–11 chapters. A paragraph or two should describe the contents of each chapter and the proposed author(s) of the chapter. The Editorial Committee will review proposals and may present a recommendation to the Executive Board as early as January 2010. Visit www.lera.uiuc.edu under “Publications/Research Volume” for full information.

UCIRHRP Competitive Student Papers – Deadline Extended to Nov 1, 2009
The University Council of Industrial Relations and Human Resource Programs, UCIRHRP, is sponsoring a student paper competition at the 62nd LERA Annual Meeting. This special call is to solicit PhD and graduate student papers reflecting the diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches to researching emergent phenomena in the field. Examples include, but are by no means restricted to: new forms of labor market institutions; new developments in employment relations, diversity in organizations as well as social movements; and new developments in international/transnational actors and organizations.

Deans, Directors and Chairs of University IR/HR programs will serve as referees for the entries and the top papers will be selected to be presented in a symposium following the LERA PhD Student Consortium on January 2, 2010 at the LERA 62nd Annual Meeting. A $300 cash prize will be awarded to the top paper; the award is meant to help defray the student’s conference expenses.

Submissions for this special call must be made via e-mail to the LERAoffice@illinois.edu. Only completed papers, not abstracts or letters of intent, may be considered. All paper submissions must comply with the following submission criteria:
• To be considered for this competition, the author or authors must all be students.
• Full contact information must be submitted for all the authors of each paper, including current mailing addresses and email addresses.
• Papers must reflect original work or major developments on previously reported work. Papers are not eligible if they have been presented at LERA or other professional meetings or have or will be published prior to the meeting.
• Papers are limited to 25 double-spaced pages doubled spaced and in a 12-pt font (converted to a PDF file), including footnotes, tables and bibliographies.
• Papers must include a title, abstract (up to 200 words) and preferred keyword.

LERA Refereed Paper Competition Entries — Deadline April 1, 2010
The LERA Editorial Committee has issued a call for individual papers for the 2010 Annual Refereed Papers Competition. Papers up to 25 pages in length are invited to be submitted to the competitive review process. Authors of selected papers will be invited to present at the LERA 63rd Annual Meeting in Denver, CO on January 6-9, 2011 and to be published in the LERA 2011 Proceedings of the Annual Meeting. Authors may request that their papers be considered for an expedited review at cooperating scholarly journals. (See below.) To qualify, papers must not have been previously presented at conferences, published, or be committed to forthcoming publication.

Several sessions will be organized around the following broad topic areas of the LERA sections: international and comparative industrial relations; industry studies/work and occupations; labor economics and labor markets; law, regulations, and dispute resolution; unions and labor studies, and labor- management relations. Entrants are requested to specify which of these broad topic areas their paper would be categorized. Individual refereed papers are selected on the basis of blind review. Guidelines for the LERA Refereed Papers Competition are as follows: paper length should not exceed 25 typed, double-spaced pages in a 12-point font (the page limit includes endnotes, references, tables, and figures-a full-page table is considered one full page of text).

Per an agreement with scholarly journals in the field, LERA also offers the authors of selected papers an option of submitting their papers for fast-track pre-review for scholarly journals, though publication in those journals is at the discretion of their editorial boards. In brief, the LERA Editor will consider recommending selected papers to journal editors, and the LERA Editor’s recommendation will be considered as a positive referee report. Of course, no single positive referee report mandates acceptance for publication by the participating journals. These journals include: Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Industrial Relations, Advances in Industrial and Labor Relations, British Journal of Industrial Relations, the Journal of Labor Research, and the Labor Studies Journal. Entrants are requested to specify which of the journals they would be interested in if they are interested in fast-track in this option. Authors of papers selected for refereed session presentation that do not wish to have their papers considered for publication in participating journals may have their papers published in the LERA Proceedings.

Authors wishing to participate in the refereed papers competition need to submit a cover letter or sheet with 1) full contact information 2) the broad topic area their paper best fits, 3) their preference of publications their paper might best fit, i.e. the LERA Proceedings or a scholarly journal, and 4) an electronic copy of their paper via email. Send to LERAofice@illinois.edu in Champaign, Illinois on or before the April 1, 2010 deadline. Acceptance decisions and notifications for the 2010 LERA meeting will be made by the early summer of 2010.

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The LERA Awards Committee has issued the following calls for nomination for LERA awards. Please send a letter or email of nomination accompanied by accounts of the accomplishments of the nominee and cv to the executive director (pdwells@illinois.edu) at the LERA office. All awardees will be recognized at the LERA 62nd Annual Meeting in Atlanta in January 2010.

Nominations for LERA President Elect and Executive Board—Due October 30, 2009
LERA members interested in submitting nominations for the 2011 LERA president elect and for national executive board members (terms beginning in 2011) are encouraged to send nominations to the LERA national office, or to Hoyt Wheeler, chair of the 2009 Nominating Committee. Bylaws require board nominees be active members of the association and that nominees for president elect be active members of both the national and a local chapter, if one is available in their geographic area. All nominees should be aware of the policies and directions of the association.

John T. Dunlop Outstanding Scholar Award Nominations
Given to recognize outstanding academic to research by recent entrants to the field, nominations will be accepted in two categories 1) to recognize the research contribution of an academic for the best contribution to international and/or comparative labor and employment research and 2) to recognize the best contribution to research that addresses an industrial relations/employment problem of national significance.

LERA Fellows Nominations
Given to recognize scholars and practitioners who have made contributions of unusual distinction to the field and have been in the profession and field for longer than 10 years nominations are now being accepted. The selection committee for the Fellow scholar title will consider those who making contributions from all disciplines such as Industrial Relations, Labor Law, Economics, Human Resources, Business, Sociology, Political Science, and Organizational Behavior. For practitioner Fellow nominations, the committee will consider labor, management, neutrals, and others for election.

Susan C. Eaton Outstanding Scholar-Practitioner Award Nominations
Given in honor of Susan C. Eaton, scholar and practitioner and LERA member who passed away in late December 2003, this award is given annually to a member of the Association who has achieved distinction as both a practitioner and a scholar in our field.

LERA Outstanding Practitioner Award Nominations
This Annual award is made to a practitioner for outstanding contributions to the industrial relations profession consistent with the values and the mission of the LERA.

Susan C. Eaton Scholar-Practitioner Project Grant Entries- Deadline November 1, 2009
The Awards Committee for the Susan C. Eaton Scholar-Practitioner Memorial Fund has issued a call for proposals for a $3,000 grant to be awarded in January 2010 to a scholar researcher doing new or on-going research (including dissertation research) in the labor and employment relations or related field. Only LERA members are eligible to submit a proposal for the Committee to consider. The first grant award was made to the best proposal from an individual or team in the scholarly research area in January 2006. In 2007, it was awarded to the best proposal received from a practitioner engaged in an action research project in the labor and employment relations or related field. The Award follows an alternate-year pattern in order to recognize promising work from both the scholarly and practice sides of the labor and employment relations and related fields.

The Award will be granted annually to the most promising and relevant proposal for research or research-in-action consistent with the values and principles of the work of Susan C. Eaton and that best honors her legacy as an outstanding scholar-practitioner. This includes dissertation research, post graduate and other research projects, and/or research-related projects being done by practitioners in the fields, or research-in-action.

LERA members are invited to submit a 1-2 page proposal before November 1 outlining a research project for the Committee’s consideration. The outline should include: a description of the project and why it is important, anticipated or possible findings or outcomes, and a project timetable. A letter of support from at least one faculty or sponsor is also required.

The awardee or team will be recognized at the LERA Annual Meeting each January and will receive a check for $3,000 at that time for their project. They agree to provide a brief 1-2 page report of the project upon its completion for publication on the LERA website.

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How can I participate?

If you are an individual interested in blogging regularly or you have an infrequent guest blog article you’d like to post, please contact us at LERAoffice@illinois.edu and we’ll forward your request (please attach your CV) to the Blog Committee.  If you represent one of our LERA communities, please let us know you are interested, and we can begin to build your own site.  Your own blogsite is highly customizable for your needs, interactive with the public and your members, and, best of all, can be edited by you online.

What are my LERA colleagues blogging about?

• “Learning from Down Under: Where Labor Policy is Center Stage” by Tom Kochan, at http://kochan.lerablog.org
• “Behavioral ethics, the bailout, and industrial relations” by Michael Belzer, at http://belzer.lerablog.org
• “It’s easy being green…” by William Canak, at http://canak.lerablog.org
• “Expanding the Educational Opportunities during Massive Layoffs” by Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, at http://cutcher-gershenfeld.lerablog.org
• “To Reconnect Wages to Rising Productivity, Protect Workers’ Collective Bargaining Rights” by Sheldon Friedman, at http://friedman.lerablog.org
• “Unemployment, Maintaining Employment, and Reconceiving the Social Safety Net” by Oren Levin-Waldman at http://levin-waldman.lerablog.org
• “New ADA Amendments Expand Employer Obligations” by Jed Marcus at http://marcus.lerablog.org
• “Best Options for the Auto Industry Crisis” – by S. Helper, J.P. MacDuffie, J. Cutcher-Gershenfeld, T. Ghilarducci, T. Kochan at http://lerablog.org

How are other LERA Communities using this resource?

Browse through the excellent blogsites hosted by Jody Hoffer Gittell and the Health Care Industry Council co-chairs, by Andrew von Nordenflycht and the Airline Industry Council co-chairs, and by Ellen Dannin and the LEL Interest Section conveners.

• Health Care Industry Council Blog at http://healthcare-ic.lerablog.org
• Airline Industry Council Blog at http://airline-ic.lerablog.org
• Labor and Employment Law Interest Section blog at http://lel-is.lerablog.org/

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Invisible Hands, Invisible Objectives:  Bringing Workplace Law and Public Policy Into Focus—By Stephen F. Befort and John W. Budd. The authors blend their scholarly expertise in economics and industrial relations to propose a comprehensive set of reforms, tackling such issues as regulatory enforcement, portable employee benefits, training programs, living wages, workplace safety and health, work-family balance, security and social safety nets, nondiscrimination, good cause dismissal, balanced income distributions, free speech protections for employees, individual and collective workplace decision-making and labor unions. 328 pages. Cloth ISBN 978-0-8047-6153-6, Price $80, Paper, 300 pages, ISBN 978-0-8047-6154-3. Price. $32.95 Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA www.sup.org.

The State of Working America 2008/2009—By Lawrence Mishel, Jared Bernstein, Heidi Shierholz. The mantra among economists has been that as productivity grows, so shall living conditions improve. However, the authors show a very different story regarding the income of middle-class families, the poverty of low-income families and the historically off-the-charts measures of inequality. Hundreds of graphs and tables in this book paint a portrait of working America that shows the good, bad and the ugly. 399 pages. Cloth, ISBN 978-0-8014-4754-9. Price $59.95. Paper, ISBN 978-0-8014-7477-4. Price $24.95.  Cornell University Press, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.

Older and Out of Work: Jobs and Social Insurance for a Changing Economy—Randell W. Eberts and Richard A. Hobbie, Editors. Employers are reluctant to utilize older workers even though they possess the skills, knowledge, and commitment needed to help companies compete in a global economy. The various contributors examine factors that explain why older workers are increasingly staying in the labor market, the barriers they face in doing so and the social programs that affect their employment status. 237 pages. Cloth, ISBN 978-0-88099-330-2, Price $40. Paper, ISBN 978-0-880-99-329-6, price $18. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI http://www.upjohninst.org/publications/books.html

Staley: The Fight for a New American Labor Movement—By Steven K. Ashby and C.J. Hawking (both Staley workers’ solidarity organizers.) Seventy-five interviews and video tapes of every union meeting during the early 1990’s documented workers who waged one of the most hard-fought struggles in recent labor history. 232 pages. Cloth, ISBN 978-0-252-034374-4, price $75, Paper, ISBN 978-0-252-07640-4, price $25.   University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago, www.press.uillinois.edu.

The SAGE Handbook Of Industrial Relations—Edited by Paul Blyton, Nicolas Bacon, Jack Fiorito and Edmund Heery. The handbook is a collection of industrial relations research and theoretical debates that will shape the field well into the 21st century.  Globalization, the decline of trade unions, the spread of high performance work systems and the emergence of a more diverse, flexible work-force have opened new avenues of inquiry.  658 pages. Cloth, ISBN 978-1-4129-1154-2, Price $150. SAGE Publications LTD., 1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Rd., London EC1Y 1SP  www.sagepub.com.

Justified by Work:  Identity and the Meaning of Faith in Chicago’s Working-Class Churches—By Robert Anthony Bruno. “What role do faith and religious observance play in the everyday lives of working people?” The book is embedded in the contemporary religious practices and beliefs of working-class Chicago-area congregations to show both how faith is inextricably interwoven in the everyday lives of the people who regularly attend places of worship and how class impacts the daily manifestation of these people’s religion. 273 pages. Paper, ISBN 978-0-8142-5134-8, price, $24.95. Cloth, ISBN 978-0-8142-1095-6, price $54.95, CD, ISBN 978-0-8142-9175-7, price $9.95. Ohio State Press, Columbus, OH. www.ohiostatepress.org.

The Big Squeeze:  Tough Times for the American Worker—By Steven Greenhouse.  Greenhouse tells stories of workers from every class and age who are being squeezed dry by the corporations in this affluent country. The book explains how economic, business, political and social trends have fueled the squeeze. He also examines companies that are generous to their workers that can serve as models for all of corporate America and presents a series of pragmatic, ready-to-be-implemented suggestions on what government, business and labor should do to alleviate the squeeze. Paper, 365 pages, ISBN 978-1-4000-9652-7, $14.95. Cloth, 384 pages, ISBN 978-1-4000-4489-4, $25.95. eBook, 320 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-26863-1, $14.95. Alfred A. Knopf, New York and Canada, www.aaknopf.com.

A Future of Good Jobs?  America’s Challenge in the Global Economy—Edited by Timothy J. Bartik and Susan N. Houseman. Seven contributors address the problems and explore the solutions to the pressing challenges facing current U.S labor market policy. These articles look at several economic and social forces such as financial market pressures on companies, globalization, technological change and design of our current health system. Several key reforms of labor market policy are presented that will deal with the decline in the value of minimum wage and the decline in union representation.  327 pages. Cloth, ISBN 978-0-88099-332-6, $40.  Paper, ISBN 978-0-88-99-331-9, $20. W.E Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, MI. http://www.upjohninst.org/publications/books.html

Live Wire:  Women and Brotherhood in the Electrical Industry—By Francine A Moccio. Forty years of public policy reform and advocacy that have failed to eliminate restricted opportunities for women in highly skilled blue-collar jobs. Efforts to achieve gender equality have also collided with the prejudice and fraternal values of brotherhood and factors that have ultimately derailed women’s full inclusion. This in-depth case study brings new insights into the way in which divisions at work along the lines of race, gender, and economic background enhance and/or inhibit inclusion. 288 pages. Cloth, ISBN 978-1-59213-737-4, $59.50. Temple University Press, Philadelphia, PA.  www.temple.edu/tempress.

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To add events of interest to LERA members to the LERA Calendar, please email brief information in the same format as above to LERAoffice@illinois.edu . Put “LERA Calendar” in the subject line of your message.

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The LERA gratefully acknowledges the continuing support of its annual organizational members.

ANNUAL MEMBERS 2009

AFL-CIO, Department of Professional Employees
AFL-CIO, Working for America Institute
American Federation of Teachers
American Rights at Work
BlueCross BlueShield Association, National Labor Office (Sustaining Sponsor)
Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (Sustaining Sponsor)
California Labor Federation
City of Baltimore
Communication Workers of America
Cornell University, Scheinman Institute of Conflict Resolution
Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Dairyland Power Cooperative
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Health Alliance Plan of Michigan
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Strategic Resources
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, PA Center for the Study of Labor Relations
Las Vegas City Employees’ Association
Las Vegas Metro Police Department
Le Moyne College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management
Merrimack Films
Michelin North America, Inc.
Michigan State University, School of Labor and Industrial Relations
National Labor College
National Public Employer Labor Relations Association
New York State Nurses Association, Economic & General Welfare Program
Orange Country Transportation Authority
Penn State University, Labor Studies and Employment Relations
Rollins College, Master of Human Resources Program
Rutgers University, School of Management and Labor Relations
Saint Joseph’s University, Haub School of Business
San Diego Municipal Employee Association
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association
United Steelworkers
United Food and Commercial Workers, Local #1776
University of California at Los Angeles, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
University of California—Berkeley, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Labor and Employment Relations
University of Minnesota, Carlson Industrial Relations Center
University of Toronto, Center for Industrial Relations and Human Resources
West Virginia University, Department of Industrial Relations and Management
Wilson Center for Public Research

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Robert Scott Adams, Attorney, Lynnwood, WA
Tom Alderson, Mountain State BlueCross BlueShield, Charleston, WV
Christine Alrich, BlueCross and BlueShield of Delaware, Wilmington, DE
Michelle Amber, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Aaron W. Anselment, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Stephanie Lauren Aranyos, Lowenstein Sandler, PC, New York, NY
Lindiwe Ashton, Wilton Manors, FL
Jim Bailey, Arkansas BlueCross and BlueShield, Little Rock, AR
Melissa L. Bard, PA State System of Higher Education, Harrisburg, PA
Phil Bernard, Walt Disney World Co., Lake Buena Vista, FL
Teresa M. Boyer, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Kenneth David Brahl, Wakefern, Cherry Hill, NJ
Erik Brown, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Susanne Calvello, New York State Nurses Association, New York, NY
Thomas Hugh Canty, Empire BlueCross Blueshield, New York, NY
Randy Christensen, Premera BlueCross of Washington and Alaska, Mountlake Terrace, WA
Yuting Chu, Qulliq Energy Corp., Ladner, Canada
Chibuzo Ozichuku Chukunta, East Brunswick, NJ
Wonjoon Chung, University of Illinois, Savoy, IL
Luke Cirkovic, BlueShield of California, San Francisco, CA
Cecile Conroy, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Fairfax, VA
Guy Coss, Mediator, Kirkland, WA
Francis J. Cuneo, Sheetmetal Workers 104, San Francisco, CA
David Davidson, AFL-CIO, Nashville, TN
Edward Martin Davidson, Davidson Arbitration, LLC, Smyrna, GA
Shelley R. Devine, Trimet, Portland, OR
Lawrence E. Dube, Jr., BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Rachel Dufault, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Robert Dumais, BlueCross and BlueShield of Rhode Island, Providence, RI
Michael Felber, Carefirst Bluecross Blueshield, Owings Mills, MD
Thomas Fentner, Health Now New York, Inc., Buffalo, NY
Jared Ferguson, Horizon BlueCross and BlueShield, Newark, NJ
John Fitzpatrick, BlueCross and BlueShield of Michigan, Detroit, MI
Michael Forman, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA
Kathleen G. Fox, Lansing Community College, Lansing, MI
Richard B. Freeman, Natioanl Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA
Valerie Gabriel, Council 10 PAC, Brookfield, WI
Peter Gerard Gahan, Monash University, Caulfield East, Australia
Steve Gammarino, BlueCross and BlueShield Association, Washington, DC
Amy Gannon, Boston University, Roslindale, MA
James P. Garrett, Middlesex Water, Iselin, NJ
Mary L. Gatta, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Glenn Robert Goodwin, Esq., Oxford Dispute Resolution, LLC, Greenville, SC
Michael Griggs, BlueCross and BlueShield of SC, Columbia, SC
Steven M. Gutierrez, Holland & Hart, LLC, Denver, CO
Masanori Hashimoto, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Jeff Hermosillo, BlueShield of California, San Francisco, CA
Susan Hobbs, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Carlton Hobgood, BlueCross and BlueShield of Florida, Jacksonville, FL
Gunther Hoffmann, Regence BlueCross and BlueShield of Oregon, Portland, OR
Kim Hunter, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Daniel J. Hussey, National Arbitration Center, Colonia, NJ
Joan Husted, Honolulu, HI
Kevin Douglas Hyer, Esq., Harrisburg, PA
Patrick F. Irwin, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
Joycelyn A. James, BAE Systems, Arlington, VA
Thomas Edward Janoski, Lexington, KY
Stephen Jepson, BlueCross and BlueShield of Western New York, Buffalo, NY
Maria Johnson, Franklin, TN
Julie Kebler, Foster Pepper, Seattle, WA
Hank Kim, Esq., National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems, Washington, DC
Lindsey Marie King, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Fred B. Kotler, Cornell University, Trumansburg, NY
Ching Kwan Lee, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Raymond Lane, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Byron Y. Lee, Student, Toronto, Canada
Thomas Lenz, AALRR, Cerritos, CA
Colleen M. Leyrer, Attorney, McLean, VA
Michele Liebtag, CWA Local 1034, West Trenton, NJ
Gene Linton, BlueCross and BlueShield of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Andrew Luscombe, Weymouth, MA
David Madland, Center For American Progress, Washington, DC
Kathleen Malloy, Suffolk County AME, Bohemia, NY
Garth L. Mangum, University of Utah, Bountiful, UT
Elana Marcus, Consultant, New York, NY
John Markuns, North Andover, MA
Bridget Martin, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Fairfax, VA
Alexandre Mas, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Cynthia E. Maxwell, Esq., Independent Employee Counsel, LLP, Cazenovia, NY
David Edward McCormick, Anna Maria, FL
Susan McGolrick, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Michael Joseph McGrorty, PIPE Labor-Management Coop. Comm., Los Angeles, CA
Heather A. McKay, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Jeannune Messina, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago, IL
Robert Mill, Highmark BlueCross and BlueShield, Pittsburgh, PA
Victoria L. Montgomery, Newbury Park, CA
Thomas Charles Mordowanec, PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Ruth Moscovitch, Arbitrator, Hillside, NJ
Helen Moss, Portland, OR
Robert W. Mulcahy, Esq., Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP, Milwaukee, WI
Michaela Muresan, Kent Law, Chicago, IL
Todd Muscatello, Excellus BlueCross and BlueShield, Syracuse, NY
Kurt Naasz, BNA, Inc., Melbourne, FL
Kaori Nakamura, Embassy of Japan, Washington, DC
Cathy Noecker, Wellmark BlueCross and BlueShield, Des Moines, IA
Al Nolan, BlueCross and BlueShield of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Kenneth Norton, Independence BlueCross, Philadelphia, PA
Thomas J. Nowel, Arbitrator, Maineville, OH
Tracy Onorofsky, Capital Blue Cross, Harrisburg, PA
Doris Osenni, Brentwood Group, Kinnelon, NJ
Cornele  Overstreet, National Labor Relations Board, Phoenix, AZ
James M. Paulson, Arbitrator/Mediator, Anacortes, WA
Elizabeth Pearsall, Suffolk County Department of Labor, Hauppauge, NY
Roberto Pedersini, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
Perry Pogany, Anthem/Wellpoint Inc, Mason, OH
Valeria Pulignano, K.U. Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Michael James Reid, Berkeley, CA
Victoria Roberts, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Paul D. Roose, California State Mediation and Conciliation Service, Oakland, CA
Tony Saguibo, HMSA – BlueCross and BlueShield of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Susan Sala, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Troy Sarina, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Cathleen Schoultz, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Tobias Schulze-Cleven, Student, Berkeley, CA
Joelle Sexton, Tri-Star Group, Dekalb, IL
Stephen Shay, BlueCross and BlueShield of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
Jeremy Andrew Shearer, Lebanon Correctional Institute, Oregonia, OH
Jared Short, BlueCross and BlueShield Montana, Helena, MT
Julie Sloan, BlueCross and BlueShield of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK
Rhonda Smith, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Aaron J. Sojourner, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Ausbon Starling, Tennessee AFL-CIO, Nashville, TN
Lois Stevens, BlueCross and BlueShield of Minnesota, Eagan, MN
Kimberly Studstill, Belleville, MI
Nathan Sykes, Metro, Portland, OR
Robert T. Szyba, Hofstra University School of Law , Garfield, NJ
Wonyou Tae, Samsung Econ Res Inst, Seoul, Korea
David Thaler, Cranford, NJ
Adriana Topo, Universita degli Studi Di Padova, Padova, Italy
Brad Utoft, BlueCross and BlueShield of Nebraska, Omaha, NE
Tom Uustal, BlueCross and BlueShield of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN
Rose Viqueira, Verizon Corp., West Orange, NJ
Nick Wailes, University of Sydney, Sydney , Australia
Martin Hugh Warren, Eversheds, Cardiff, United Kingdom
David Watroba, BlueCross and BlueShield of Michigan, Southfield, MI
James A. Watson, American Red Cross, Sterling Heights, MI
Eric Weber, Kellog, Memphis, TN
David Weinberg, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Oakland, CA
Scott Wells, BNA, Inc., Arlington, VA
Karen S. White, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Herman Whitter, Maryland State Teachers Association – NEA, Annapolis, MD
Cynthia Williams, MESSA, East Lansing, MI
Michael W. Wolf, Alliant Techsystems, Radford, VA
Phanindra V. Wunnava, Middlebury College and IZA, Middlebury, VT
Lauren Young Boukema, CWA Local 1034 Branch 1, Mount Holly, NJ
Lu Zhang, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

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Harry F. Stark, March 2009, Highland Park, NJ. Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University, LERA member since 1952.

Martin Wagner, June 2009, Urbana, IL. Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, School of Labor and Employment Relations, LERA member since 1948.

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Newsletter editor: Paula Wells, email: pdwells@illinois.edu. Chapter editor: Emily Smith email: eesmith@illinois.edu.

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