Report on Regional Meetings for the Future of Work

As part of the multi-pronged Future of Work Project, meetings have been held in each of the four areas represented by UMass Labor Studies programs. The unifying factor of each meeting was to explore the factors affecting workers in these changing times. These meetings encouraged broad participation in the project by identifying key issues and approaches for change and the role the university may play. Each meeting incorporated discussion among participants and each was structured differently. Below is a summary of each regional meeting. For a more detailed report, contact the Labor Studies programs on each campus.

UMass Amherst Summary

The Western MA regional meeting was held on February 4 and drew more than 35 people from unions, community groups and the campus community. The discussion began with a call by Tom Juravich, Labor Center Director, to bring the study of work back into Labor Studies, to highlight the need to make work itself better. The opening panel identified broad economic and employment trends, both nationally and in Massachusetts, such as the increase in hours worked, widening inequality and increase in poverty, decline in union density, and shifting tax burdens from corporations to workers. Massachusetts is the 14th highest state in terms of jobs lost, due in part to globalization, and the threat of outsourcing impacts job security and workers’ confidence to unionize or bargain for higher wages. In the Valley low wage service and big box retail jobs and temporary labor continue to replace good, quality, manufacturing and industrial jobs. The next two panels looked at issues for immigrants and workers of color and work/family issues. Participants identified the challenge of organizing a changing workforce – undocumented agricultural workers, big box retail workers, decentralized human service workers, non-union immigrant construction workers, and temporary or contingent workers. Discussion also focused on overtime, the need for family-friendly workplace policies, the role of political strategies, the impact of outsourcing, and the need for international solidarity. The Labor Center offered itself as a resource for corporate research and consulting and to provide a forum to continue the discussion.

For more information contact Dale Melcher at: dmelcher@lrrc.umass.edu

UMass Boston Summary

The regional meeting was held on December 9, 2004 and approximately 30 people attended from unions, community groups, and the campus community. The meeting began with an overview of the issues to be addressed by this project: global economic trends, sectoral change and changes in the workplace, the organization of work, and the relationship of workers to employers. Then Debra Osnowitz, research associate at the Labor Resource Center of UMass Boston, gave a presentation on “contingent work,” emphasizing the growth of this type of employment and the typical outcomes of low wages, fewer benefits, and less job security. Monica Halas, of Greater Boston Legal Services and the Mass AFL-CIO, responded by describing some legislative initiatives to improve the conditions of contingent workers, and this was followed by a general discussion. More problems associated with the changing nature of work were also highlighted, including technology changes, barriers to organizing and an evolving workforce. Additional work that needs to be done includes research, public policy and activism. Upcoming events, which are next steps from this meeting, include a second regional meeting at UMass Boston that is entitled, "Good Jobs Build Strong Communities" and The Future of Work Statewide Conference, also to be held at UMass Boston, on April 28.

For more information contact Tess Ewing at: Tess.Ewing@ubm.edu

UMass Dartmouth Summary

This regional meeting was on February 15, 2005 and attended by 40 people. Congressman Barney Frank opened the event with a well-crafted analysis of the current situation in Southeastern Massachusetts. He discussed how the Bush administration aims to eliminate restraints on capital and the ensuing inequality. Next were speakers who addressed the following sectors: manufacturing, health care, retail, and contingent work. Special attention was paid to employer consolidation and the unemployment rate in southeastern Massachusetts, which is the highest in the state. Positive factors for this area include the development of some new industries and the abundance of fish in coastal waters. A large group discussion followed that identified the need for coordinated bargaining, legislative campaigning and attracting organizing resources to this area. The next step in continuing this discussion is to encourage participation in the April 28th conference and to explore ways the Labor Education Center can collaborate on identifying resources and providing training and technical assistance.

For more information contact Kim Wilson at: kwilson@umd.edu

UMass Lowell Summary

The regional meeting was held on December 7, 2004 and approximately 50 people attended from unions, community groups, and the campus community. The meeting began with participants naming what the future of work means to them. Responses to this question, combined with three speakers, presented these trends: casualization, work restructuring and loss of union power, lack of work, globalization, and lack of power. The challenges identified in the wake of these trends include the questions of alliances, organizing the unorganized, and defining a focus and strategy. Next steps coming out of this meeting include a class on "continuous bargaining," workshops on the neoconservative agenda, and a labor history course. Additionally, the Labor Extension Program plans to work in a specific industry with a union partner to identify points of leverage, identify training needed, work directly with the people most affected, and organize a mini-conference.

For more information contact Susan Winning at: Susan_Winning@uml.edu