Great Resources from the “Triad” Conference

I was pleased to represent the LMC at a unique event bringing together labor, management, government and academics from around the world last week. Referred to as the Triad, the conference in New York combined the biannual FMCS labor-management national conference, the annual Labor and Employment Relations Association annual meeting and the International Labor and Employment Relations Association meeting held every three years.  Photos from the conference can be found at left under Triad 2024.

The conference drew more than 1,400 attendees from about 35 states and more than 30 nations from every hemisphere. More than 100 sessions in 26 time slots were offered over four days; I was able to attend 24 sessions as well as extensive networking. OK, I did some NYC site seeing too when sessions weren’t being offered (the Mets-Astros game, great food and Central Park among others). The conference took place at the Hilton Midtown in Manhattan.

We reconnected with Darnice Marsh and Andrew Hasty from US DOL, who are leading the department’s labor-management cooperation program and spoke at the LMC Anniversary Celebration in 2023, as well as Scot Beckinbaugh, past acting FMCS director who has spoken to the Anniversary Celebration in the past and has family in the KC area. I also connected with both FMCS Kansas City-based commissioners, Stephanie Haynes and Jim Albano.

I also discussed the possibility of the LMC forming a chapter of the Labor & Employment Relations Association. There is no chapter in Missouri or Kansas now. It could provide an excellent opportunity to widen our participation and impact.

Below is a list of each session I attended. I can provide more details on any session that you are interested in including my notes and the presentations):

•U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su spoke to the conference.
•NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and board members Laurie McFerran and Gwynn Wilcox
•Conflict resolution experts Bill Eddy and Peter Coleman
•AFT President Randi Weingarten and Flight Attendants President Sara Nelson
•An excellent session with the Major League Baseball Deputy Commissioner for Labor Relations Dan Halem who discussed labor-management relationships in MLB and how it has built relationships with the MLBPA. The session also included a tour of the MLB headquarters including the replay room where umpires and technical specialists review every game and make decisions on appealed plays.

Sessions besides plenaries that I attended (100 sessions offered: Anger in Conflict, High Road Bargaining-Alternative Models, Diversity Initiatives in the Building Trades, Worker and Employer Voice—Issues Confronting the Labor Market, Flipping the Script in High Conflict Situations, Today’s Wave of Union Busting and How it Highlights Weaknesses in the NLRA, Union Organizing and Collective Bargaining at the Crossroad: Renewal or Continued Decline?, Sustaining the Revival of the Labor Movement, Generations at Work, Union Power, Satisfaction and Composition, How Do Workers Know a Good Job When They Have One, WageTheft Inequality of Worker Pay, The Efficacy of Minimum Wage Regulations, Power Resource Theory in Contemporary Capitalism, Challenges in the Public Sector.