OCLERA Hosts Meeting on March 15, 2016

On March 15, 2016, OCLERA had a fabulous, well prepared and inspirational meeting in the midst of so much negativity, in the news,  about labor and management relationships.

The picture attached from right to left is Chris Tilly, former LERA Board Member and Director of the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment and professor of Urban Planning and Sociology; Jimmy Settles, Vice President of the UAW, chief negotiator for UAW with Ford; Bill Dirksen, Vice President Labor Affairs for Ford Motor Company; Bonnie Prouty Castrey, Founding President of OCIRRA (now OCLERA) and current LERA President; David Lewin, Past President of LERA and the Neil H. Jacoby Professor Emeritus of Management, Human Resources and Organizational Behavior at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Professor Tilly set the stage with a macro look at the decline in labor union density and the rapid growth of auto competition in the United States.  Professor Lewin discussed the relatively few but very positive “Islands of Labor Management Cooperation” highlighting the UAW-Ford Motor Company as one such positive relationship.

Jimmy Settles and Bill Dirksen modeled their cooperative, respectful relationship as they discussed in detail the great challenges they faced both externally and internally, especially the impact of the great recession.   They spoke of having to make very difficult choices for the good of the Union Members and the Company in order to survive without government loans and then following the survival, how they negotiated a successor contract to rebuild their organizations, their workforce and the physical plants.   The good news is that they have maintained their relationship and meet regularly to assure its ongoing openness and health.   Moreover, the Company is surviving and now thriving as together UAW and Ford, move forward.

The OCLERA members had many questions and a hearty discussion ensued.

The picture was taken by OCLERA  President Juan Carlos Gonzalez.