LERA General Membership Meeting and Awards Presentations
Saturday, January 7, 2006, 6:00 p.m.
Georgian Room
Boston Park Plaza Hotel Boston MA
Call to OrderÑThe meeting was called to order by LERA
President Stephen R. Sleigh at 6:05 p.m.
WelcomeÑPresident Sleigh welcomed the membership
and acknowledged new members.
Committee and
Officer Reports
Report of the
Nominating CommitteeÑStephen
Sleigh reported that the Executive Board has approved the Committees slate of
nominees for the June 2007 elections. He thanked committee chair Janice Bellace
and the Committee and shared with the membership that the 2007 President-Elect
nominee is Anthony T. Oliver.
Report of the
Perspectives on Work Editorial
Advisory CommitteeÑ
Charles Whalen, editor of Perspectives on Work, gave a brief report on the plans for
the Summer 2006 issue. The cover feature will be this yearÕs distinguished
panel: Conflicts over Corporate Control: The Role of Labor and Employment
Relations. Whalen invited members to contact him if they had ideas for features
or articles.
Report of the
Finances/Membership CommitteeÑChair
Paula Voos reported the board had recommended the budget for 2006 with a
$40,000 deficit. To economize, the association has raised membership dues
and initiated a development effort (to be discussed in detail by David Lipsky.)
Dues were raised $10 for 2006 and will be raised $5 a year over the next two
years. The Association now offers a 12-month rolling membership cycle enabling
new members to receive benefits immediately upon joining. Voos reported
dues revenue alone will not sustain the operating costs and that other action
is needed. She challenged all members to participate in Ôpersonal contactÕ
membership building efforts.
Report of the
Development CommitteeÑDavid Lipsky, Chair, announced the launch of a $1.5
million fund raising effort for the LERA. Almost $700,000 has been raised over
the past 2 years through grants, organizational contributions, sponsorships and
member donations through renewals. Steve Sleigh spearheaded the effort to
secure over $50,000 in donations for the 2005 National Policy Forum. There is
$800,000 left to raise in the next 3 years. The next phase will be contacting
potential donors and to continue to solicit organizations. The Foundations
Committee, chaired by Marlene Heyser is developing a strategy to secure grants.
The LERA has a
$400,000 operational budget with $200,000 of that budget coming from dues and
the remaining made up from other revenue streams. We run an approximate
structural deficit of $50,000 per year without grants. Lipsky indicated
some programs may be revamped or cut if we cannot make up this deficit.
We need members to help by 1) giving money, 2) providing contact names for
donors, and 3) sharing ideas about how we can achieve our goal. Pledging and
planned giving are options. This is an exciting opportunity to ensure we can
keep this organization going.
Report of the
Industry Councils Coordinating CommitteeÑJoel Cutcher-Gershenfeld reported that 1,000 LERA members
have indicated interest in industry councils and seven chartered councils now
existÑAero-space, Airline, Automobile, Construction, Health Care, Public
Sector-Fed-eral, and Utilities. Through the Industry Council initiative, we are
taking the charge from the Sloan Foundation to make a difference in Industrial
relations on a national level. Each council is taking on important issues. LERA
members should join and participate in an industry council to make a
difference.
Report of the
Editorial Committee ReportÑAdrienne
Eaton, editor in chief and chair, reported the 2006 Research Volume is being
edited by David Lewin and will be titled, ÒContemporary Issues in Employment
Relations. It is a
review of research in the field and the volume is in editorial
development. The 2007 Volume with will be co-edited by Teresa Ghilarducci and
Christian Weller and entitled: Employee Pensions and Labor Employment
Relations. The committee
is working on a proposal for 2008. LERA Awards
Presentations
Best
Dissertation Award Co-WinnersÑBruce
Kaufman, Chair of the Dissertation Awards Committee presented the award to
co-winners: Dan Zuberi, University of British Columbia who received his degree
from Princeton University with his thesis, ÒDifferences Matter: The Impact of
Social Policy on the Working Poor in Canada and the United StatesÓ (Zuberi not
present) and Danielle van Jaarsveld, also of University of British Columbia who
received her degree from Cornell University with her thesis, ÒBoom & Bust:
An Analysis of Information Technology Work Patterns.Ó Honorable Mentions
included Mark Anner, Penn State University with his degree from Cornell
University and Brenda Sun, London School of Economics
John T.
Dunlop Outstanding Scholar Awards PresentationÑMorris Kleiner, LERA Awards Committee
Chair presented two awards. For outstanding research addressing an IR/HR
problem of national significance, David H. Autor, MIT won the award. For
exceptional contributions to international and comparative labor and employment
research, Rafael Gomez of the London School of Economics won the award.
Susan C.
Eaton Outstanding Scholar-Practitioner Award PresentationÑ Lois Gray of Cornell University was
asked to present the award to this yearÕs winner. In recognition of outstanding
research and practice emphasizing the value of bringing together the academic
and practitioner communities in our field, Christian Weller of the Center
for American Progress was given the award.
Susan C.
Eaton Scholar-Practitioner Research GrantÑAwards chair Eileen Appelbaum, recognized co-winners:
Patrice Mareschal of Rutgers University and Carol Zabin of the University of
California at Berkeley (Zabin not present). A grant of $3,000 was shared by the
researchers.
Achievement
Award in Education PresentationÑEducation
Committee member Janet Conti, presented an achievement award in Education to
Paul Cole, American Labor Studies Center.
LERA Chapter
AwardsÑLavonne Ritter,
Chair of the National Chapter Advisory Committee presented the following Chapter
awards:
The Chapter Star
Award was presented to the Atlanta ChapterÑBruce Kaufman of the Atlanta Chapter
accepted.
Outstanding
Chapter Awards were given to the Gateway LERA Chapter from St Louis with Jerry
Parker of the Gateway Chapter accepting, and the
ANNUAL REPORTS
Long Island NY
LERA Chapter with Richard Roth of the Long Island Chapter accepting.
Business
Meeting Continuation
Report of the
Chapter Advisory CommitteeÑLavonne
Ritter, NCAC Chair thanked the chapters and the committee and reported she was
completing her term as chair. She introduced Bill Canak as the new NCAC Chair.
Announcement
of the Dates of Next MeetingsÑStephen
R. Sleigh announced the dates of our next meeting at the National Labor
Management Conference August 16-18, 2006 at the Chicago Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The theme for the meeting will be Confronting Changing Times: Paths to
Partner ship and LERA
members are encouraged to submit workshop proposals to FMCS by January 20.
Please visit the LERA website and watch for your LERA Newsletter in March for
details on speakers, registration.
LERAÕs 59th
Annual Meeting will be held in Chicago January 4-7, 2006. There is currently a
call out for session proposals for the next Annual Meeting. David Lipsky is the
Chair and the meeting theme is ÒConflict and Cooperation in Employment
Relations.Ó Members, interest sections, industry councils are encouraged to
submit proposals for sessions. The deadline for proposals is January 20, 2006.
Both symposium and workshop proposals are encouraged.
Request for
New Business from the FloorÑPresident
Sleigh recognized LERA secretary/treasurer Peter Feuille, who formally thanked
the LERA National staff for their hard work, noting the quality of the new
employees and the work of director Paula Wells. He invited participants to
attend the Joint Universities Reception, held immediately following the General
Membership Meeting.
Concluding
RemarksÑStephen R.
Sleigh thanked the association for the opportunity to serve as the president
for the past year. As ceremony, he turned the meeting over to the 2007 LERA
President David Lipsky, who adjourned the meeting.
Meeting
adjournmentÑPresident
Elect Lipsky adjourned the meeting at 7:01 p.m.
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