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Interest Sections

Collective Bargaining Network

The Collective Bargaining Section is a constituent organization of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA). The Section shall provide a forum for the exchange of ideas about collective bargaining and for the professional education of practitioners and researchers in collective bargaining. The goal of the Section is to advance and disseminate knowledge about collective bargaining, and to improve its processes.

Conveners:

For more information please contact Lynne Mingarelli at [email protected].

Dispute Resolution

The Section provides a forum for the exchange of ideas about dispute resolution and for the professional education of practitioners and researchers in dispute resolution. Our goal is to advance dispute resolution principles, the role of the neutral, and facilitation, mediation and arbitration as vital links in the system of labor and employment relations and to foster knowledge-sharing designed to enhance understanding of the value and role of third-party process.

2020-2021 Officers

Mark Gough, Co-Chair 
Assistant Professor 
School of Labor and Employment Relations, The Pennsylvania State University 
[email protected] 

Bradley Weinberg, Co-Chair  
Assistant Professor 
Employment Relations, Queens University, Canada 
[email protected] 

Janet Gillman, DRIS Communications Director
State Conciliator
Oregon Employment Relations Board
[email protected]

2020-2021 Practice Leaders

Practice Leader in Mediation
Tom Melancon, Strategy Officer
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
[email protected]

Practice leader in Labor Arbitration
Mark Travis
Travis ADR Services, LLC
[email protected] 

Practice leader in Diversity and Inclusion
Sandra Smith Gangle
Retired Neutral
[email protected] 

Practice Leader(s) in Employment Arbitration Research
Alex Colvin, Dean
ILR School, Cornell University
[email protected]

Mark Gough, Assistant Professor
The Pennsylvania State University
[email protected]

Practice Leader in Employment Arbitration Practice
Betty Widgeon, Arbitrator 
[email protected]

Practice Leader in International Dispute Resolution
Chris Albertyn, Arbitrator
Albertyn Arbitration, Inc
[email protected]

Practice Leader in Dispute Resolution in China and Southeast Asia
Richard Fincher, Arbitrator/Mediator
Workplace Resolutions LLC
[email protected] 

Practice Leader in Career Development for Neutrals
Katrina Nobles, Director of Conflict Programs
Scheinman Institute, Cornell University
[email protected]

Practice Leader in Ombuds Practice
Sara Miller Espinosa, Arbitrator, Mediator, Ombuds
SME Dispute Resolution
[email protected]

Practice Leader in Federal ADR
Marick Masters, Professor
Wayne State University
[email protected]

Practice Leader in Public Sector Labor Relations and Interest-Based Negotiation
Janet Gillman, State Conciliator
Oregon Employment relations Board
[email protected]

To join and follow the DR interest section community, go to https://lera.connectedcommunity.org/communities/new-page2

Globalization, Investment, and Trade Section

The Globalization, Investment, and Trade Section of LERA consists of members from various disciplinary backgrounds, economics, law, history, sociology, etc., whose focus is on trade, international economics and labor, as well as other issues concerning globalization. Our goal is to provide a forum for discussion, education, communication and research for the academic, practitioner, and student members.

Conveners:

For more information please contact David Bensman or Owen Herrnstadt

International Interest Section

The International Interest Section of LERA is a group of LERA members whose interest lies in the field of international and comparative employment relations. The Section exists to promote dialogue, research, and evaluation of international institutions and processes in employment relations and to encourage the comparative analysis of employment relations systems and types.

Conveners:

Labor and Employment Law

The Labor and Employment Law Interest Section of the LERA is a group of people from many different disciplinary backgrounds. The section's focus is on the law as it affects labor and employment and as the law is affected by social and other forces.

Convener:

  • Robert Chiaravalli, Strategic Labor and Human Resources, LLC

Labor Markets and Economics

The Labor Markets and Economics Section is a constituent organization of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA). The Section shall provide a forum for the exchange of ideas about interest area and for the professional education of practitioners and researchers in that interest area.
Conveners:
For more information contact Dale Belman, Susan Helper or Stephen Woodbury.

Labor Studies and Union Research

The Labor Studies and Union Research Interest Section of the LERA is a group of LERA members from various disciplinary backgrounds whose interest and focus is the study of labor unions, collective bargaining, and related issues. Our intent is to provide a forum for dialogue, networking, learning, and encouragement for academic, practitioner and student members to participate in our professional community.

Conveners:

For more information please contact Robert Bruno, University of Illinois or Thea Michailides, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

Teaching

The Teaching Interest Section will develop programming relevant to teaching in higher education and outreach for sessions during the pre- or post-conference portions of the LERA National Meeting, as well as to submit session proposals for consideration during the regular conference program. 

  • Promote and develop session proposals for national LERA meetings
  • Create a Repository of information: exercises; cases; handouts; articles related to labor and employment relations; articles related to teaching
  • Assist in the development of teaching workshops for graduate students, practitioners and faculty
  • Encourage pedagogical research related to labor and employment relations
  • Explore technological innovations that enhance student learning

The Section will establish links with appropriate LERA Chapters and professional associations and engage in other activities consistent with its aim (stated above) and the broader mission of the LERA. 

Conveners:

Work and Human Resources Network

‘The Work and Human Resources Network (WHR) is a constituent organization of the Labor and Employment Relations Association that offers a forum for the exchange of ideas about work, human resources, and employment relations; and for the professional education of practitioners and researchers in these areas. The WHR Network emphasizes workplace-based research and its implications for policy, labor, and management. Workplace-based research is typically field research, grounded research that takes into account the workplace context. The Network is inherently multi-disciplinary and welcomes research from a broad set of disciplines, industries, and countries.

Our goal is to advance the principles of fair and equitable treatment for workers, including the right to collective representation, and to advance the idea that workers are a key source of value creation. We seek to explore systems and approaches that support the attainment of worker goals, their ability to create value for the organizations in which they work, and their ability to share in that value.

Conveners: