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LERA 78th Annual Meeting
May 28 - 31, 2026
(Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Royal Sonesta, Minneapolis, MN

"Bridging the Divide: Tripartite Solutions for a changing World"

 

Register beginning Feb. 2026 to attend the LERA 78th Annual Meeting, May 28 - 31, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota! The program will feature four days of intense learning and skill building at over 80 workshops, and sessions, along with more than 350 diverse presenters from every community focused on “theme tba.”

Build your networks and knowledge with managers, unions, researchers, public policy, and agency staff from throughout the U.S. and abroad. Return home with value added for your organization and your job.

Take part in practical workshops, join debates on the latest applied research topics, and hear from experts on how their companies, organizations, and unions have successfully navigated workplace issues critical to success.

All participants and attendees must register, including speakers and discussants (chairs, panelists, presenters, speakers, discussants, etc.). The early-bird registration deadline is March 25, 2026. Online registration will be open through May 30, 2025.

Registration • Hotel • Program • Featured Events and Speakers • Student Consortium • Jr. Faculty Consortium • Award Winners • Organizations • Program Committee • Participant Information • Sponsors

LERA Professional Code of Conduct • How to File a Complaint

Registration opens Feb. 2026! All participants and attendees must register, including speakers and discussants (chairs, panelists, presenters, speakers, discussants, etc.). The early-bird registration deadline is March 25, 2026. Online registration will be open through May 14, 2026. After that, onsite registration will be offered at the LERA headquarters hotel. Onsite registration will open at 7 am on the opening day of the conference and at 8 am on the second, third, and fourth days of the conference.



National LERA Member
Non-member
Standard Rates (March 26 - May 2)
Full Meeting - $473
Student/Apprentice - $284
Emeritus - $331
1 day - $307		 Full Meeting - $693
1 day - $527
Late Rates (May 3 - June 6)
Full Meeting - $561
Student/Apprentice - $337
Emeritus - $393
1 day - $365		 Full Meeting - $781
1 day - $585
Onsite Rates (June 7 - June 15)
Full Meeting - $650
Student/Apprentice - $390
Emeritus - $455
1 day - $423		 Full Meeting - $870
1 day - $643

 


The LERA Hotel is the Royal Sonesta, located at 35 S 7th St, Minneapolis, MN 55402, USA. The discounted room rate of $169 is available through April 30, 2026, or until the room block fills up.
Complete hotel details can be found here: https://lera.memberclicks.net/78th-am-hotel
Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Event

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Event

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Thursday, May 28, 2026

Opening Welcome Plenary

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Luncheon Plenary

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Joint Universities' Welcome Reception

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University Sponsors
Friday, May 29, 2026

Lunch

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Saturday, May 30, 2026

Annual Labor Breakfast

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LERA Presidential Luncheon

Moderator: Beverly Harrison, Program Committee Chair and Arbitrator/Mediator
Featured Speaker: John W. Budd, LERA President and University of Minnesota

LERA 28th Annual PhD Student Consortium

The LERA 28th Annual PhD Student Consortium co-chairs ... have organized a program aimed at PhD Students in the field of LER titled "xxx"! The consortium will meet from 9:15 am - 12 pm, Saturday, May 30, 2026. To register for this event, you must first register for the LERA 78th Annual Meeting, and indicate on the registration form that you plan to attend the PhD Student Consortium.

For program and complete information, please visit: http://lera.memberclicks.net/phd-student-consortium-2026.

The 2026 consortium is sponsored by contributions from:

Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Florida International University, College of Business
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management and IWER
Michigan State University, School or Human Resources and Labor Relations
Pennsylvania State University, School of Labor and Employment Relations
Rutgers University, School of Management and Labor Relations
The Industrial Relations Section at Princeton University
University of Toronto, Center for Industrial Relations and Human Resources
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Labor & Employment Relations
University of Minnesota, Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies
University of Saskatchewan, Edwards School of Business 

LERA 8th Annual Jr. Faculty Consortium

The LERA 8th Annual Jr. Faculty Consortium co-chairs, xxx, have organized a program especially for Jr. Faculty! The consortium will meet from 2:15 - 5 pm, Saturday, May 30, 2026. To register for this event, you must first register for the LERA 78th Annual Meeting, and indicate on the registration form that you plan to attend the Jr. Faculty Consortium.

For program and complete information, please visit: https://lera.memberclicks.net/7th-jr-faculty-consortium-2026.

The 2026 consortium is sponsored by contributions from:

University of Minnesota, Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies
University of Rhode Island, College of Business 

General Membership Meeting and Awards Ceremony

Moderator: John Budd, LERA President and University of Minnesota

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Sunday, May 31, 2026

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If you are participating in this meeting as a session chair, paper presenter, a panelist, a speaker, a discussant, or poster presenter, there is information that you will need to reference throughout the next several months, and after the meeting is complete.


For complete details, visit: https://leraweb.org/participant-information-2026

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Program Committee Chair: Beverly Harrison, Arbitrator/Mediator and LERA President-Elect

Practitioner Vice Chair: Meeta Bass, Arbitrator/Mediator
Academic Vice Chair: Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Brandeis University

Members:

Candace Archer, AFL-CIO, representing the labor perspective, term ending 2026
• Holland Atkinson, Hennepin County, representing the management perspective, term ending 2027
• Ariel Avgar, Cornell University, representing the academic perspective, term ending 2028
• Kate Bahn, Institute for Women's Policy Research, representing neutral/gov./other perspective, term ending 2027
• Mark Berkowitz, Attorney, representing neutral/gov./other perspective, term ending 2028
• Matt Bodah, University of Rhode Island, representing the academic perspective, term ending 2028
• Tequila Brooks, Arbitrator/Mediator, representing neutral/gov./other perspective, term ending 2028
• Matthew Capece, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, representing the labor perspective, term ending 2027
• Rassandra Cody, Kaiser Permanente, representing the management perspective, term ending 2027

• Tazewell Hurst, IAMAW, representing the labor perspective, term ending 2027
• Homer La Rue, Howard University, representing the academic perspective, term ending 2028
• Phil LaPorte, Georgia State University, representing the academic perspective, term ending 2028
• Michael Loconto, Arbitrator/Mediator, representing the neutral/gov./other perspective, term ending 2028
• David Madland, Ctr. for American Progress, representing the labor perspective, term ending 2027
• Stephen Silvia, American University, representing the academic perspective, term ending 2027
• Lionel Sims, Jr., Kaiser Permanente, representing the management perspective, term ending 2026
• Christy Yoshitomi, FMCS, representing neutral/gov./other perspective, term ending 2026
• Tingting Zhang, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, representing the academic perspective, term ending 2028

Ex-officio Members of the Program Committee:

John Budd, President
Helen Liu, Editor-in-Chief
William Canak, NCAC Chair
Hye Jin Rho, Poster Session Chair
Andrew Weaver, Secretary/Treasurer
Administrator: Emily Smith, LERA (non-voting)

Regional Events Team

Lucas Franco, LIUNA Great Lakes Region (Chair)
John Budd, LERA President and UMN
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LERA Sustaining Sponsors

International Union UAW
Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Health Care Unions
Sustaining Sponsor Graphic

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

JAMS Logo

LERA Major University Sponsors

Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, School of Labor & Employment Relations
Rutgers University, School of Management and Labor Relations
The Industrial Relations Section at Princeton University
University of Minnesota, Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies
Pennsylvania State University, School of Labor and Employment Relations
Michigan State University, School or Human Resources and Labor Relations
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Institute for Work and Employment Research

Florida International University, College of BusinessMajor University Sponsors

Iron Sponsor

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals

AFL-CIOUNAC Logo

Bronze Sponsor

Sponsor

University of Rhode Island College of Business
Wayne State University, Labor@Wayne

Diversity and Inclusion Sponsor

Exhibitors

 Cornell University Press

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